International Business School, Shaanxi Normal University, No. 620, West Chang'an Avenue, Chang'an District, Xi'an, 710119, Shaanxi Province, China.
School of Public Health, The University of Adelaide, North Terrace Campus, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia.
BMC Public Health. 2021 Nov 25;21(1):2160. doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-12231-4.
Workplace heat exposure can cause a series of heat-related illnesses and injuries. Protecting workers especially those undertake work outdoors from the risk of heat strain is a great challenge for many workplaces in China under the context of climate change. The aim of this study is to investigate the perceptions and adaptation behaviors of heat exposure among construction workers and to provide evidence for the development of targeted heat adaptation strategies nationally and internationally.
In 2020, we conducted a cross-sectional online questionnaire survey via WeChat Survey Star in China, using a purposive snowball sampling approach. A total of 326 construction workers submitted completed questionnaires. The perceptions of workplace heat exposure were measured using seven indicators: concerns over high temperature, perception of high temperature injury, attitudes towards both heat-related training and regulations, adjustment of working habits during heat, heat prevention measures in the workplace, and reduction of work efficiency. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to identify the factors significantly associated with workers' heat perceptions and behavioral responses.
33.3% of the respondents were moderately or very concerned about heat exposure in the workplace. Less than half of the workers (43.8%) were worried about heat-related injuries. Workers who have either experienced work-related injuries (OR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.03-1.62) or witnessed injuries to others during high temperatures (OR = 1.12, 95% CI 1.02-1.27) were more concerned about heat exposure compared to other workers. Most respondents (63.5%) stated that their work efficiency declined during extremely hot weather. The factors significantly associated with a reduction of work efficiency included undertaking physically demanding jobs (OR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.07-1.54) and witnessing other workers' injuries during high temperatures (OR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.11-1.43). More than half of the workers were willing to adjust their work habits to adapt to the impact of high temperatures (81.6%). The internet was the most common method to obtain heat prevention information (44.7%), and the most frequently used heat prevention measure was the provision of cool drinking water (64.8%).
Chinese construction workers lack heat risk awareness and are not well prepared for the likely increasing heat exposure in the workplace due to global warming. Therefore, there is a need to improve their awareness of heat-related injuries, strengthen high temperature related education and training, and update the current heat prevention policies to ensure compliance and implementation.
工作场所的热暴露会导致一系列与热相关的疾病和伤害。在中国，气候变化背景下，保护工人，尤其是户外工作者免受热应激风险，是许多工作场所面临的巨大挑战。本研究旨在调查建筑工人对热暴露的认知和适应行为，并为全国和国际制定有针对性的热适应策略提供证据。
2020 年，我们通过微信调查星在中国进行了一项横断面在线问卷调查，采用有目的的雪球抽样方法。共有 326 名建筑工人提交了完整的问卷。使用七个指标衡量工作场所热暴露的认知：对高温的关注、对高温伤害的感知、对热相关培训和法规的态度、高温下工作习惯的调整、工作场所的热预防措施以及工作效率的降低。采用单变量和多变量回归分析确定与工人热认知和行为反应显著相关的因素。
33.3%的受访者对工作场所的热暴露中度或非常关注。不到一半的工人（43.8%）担心与热有关的伤害。与其他工人相比，有工作相关伤害经历的工人（OR=1.30，95%CI 1.03-1.62）或目睹高温下他人受伤的工人（OR=1.12，95%CI 1.02-1.27）对热暴露更为关注。大多数受访者（63.5%）表示，在极热天气下，他们的工作效率下降。与工作效率降低显著相关的因素包括从事体力劳动（OR=1.28，95%CI 1.07-1.54）和目睹高温下其他工人受伤（OR=1.26，95%CI 1.11-1.43）。超过一半的工人愿意调整工作习惯以适应高温的影响（81.6%）。互联网是获取热预防信息最常见的方法（44.7%），最常用的热预防措施是提供凉爽的饮用水（64.8%）。
中国建筑工人对热风险的认识不足，对全球变暖导致工作场所热暴露增加的准备不足。因此，有必要提高他们对与热相关伤害的认识，加强高温相关教育和培训，并更新当前的热预防政策，以确保遵守和执行。
