![\"Heat](\"https:\/\/www.famelab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Heat-makes-workers-less-productive-impacts-health-300x163.jpg\")
Heat makes workers less productive, impacts health<\/p>\nHeat makes workers less productive, impacts health<\/p>\n
Employees who work in hot conditions are not as productive and can suffer from kidney injury, dehydration and other health problems, according to a new review.<\/em><\/p>\n Employees who work in hot conditions are not as productive and can suffer from kidney injury, dehydration and other health problems, according to a\u00a0new review<\/a>\u00a0of 111 studies published in\u00a0Lancet Planetary Health<\/em>. The included studies involved 447 million workers in over 40 different occupations, including outdoor and indoor jobs.<\/p>\n \u0391\u039d\u0394\u03a1\u0395\u0391\u03a3 \u03a6\u039b\u039f\u03a5\u03a1\u0397\u03a3<\/a>, professor of exercise science at the University of Thessaly in Greece and lead author of the study, said in a phone call with\u00a0Journalist\u2019s Resource<\/em>\u00a0that this study is the first meta-analysis of its kind and provides quantitative proof of the health impacts of working in a hot environment.<\/p>\n He added that the review also found that in hot environments, \u201cour bodies want to protect us,\u201d so workers slow down and are less productive.<\/p>\n Flouris described the health and productivity effects of heat stress as another, less-explored aspect of climate change. As global average temperatures rise and heat waves become more frequent and last longer, \u201cmore and more people will have reductions in productivity,\u201d he said, adding that this could have \u201cimmense economic effects.\u201d<\/p>\n The review included studies from 30 countries, including the United States. All continents except Antarctica were represented. The nations included account for 77 percent of the world\u2019s gross domestic product. Because the review relied on existing research, Africa is not well represented in the study \u2013 though South Africa, Angola and Egypt are included. Despite the region\u2019s climate, Flouris explained that the studies on heat strain and workers in Africa are \u201cvery few and unfortunately outdated.\u201d<\/p>\n Most of the studies, he added, were published within the past 10 years. The researchers were interested in a few different outcomes, including the prevalence of occupational heat strain, kidney disease and productivity loss.<\/p>\n Occupational heat strain is defined in the paper as \u201cthe physiological consequences of environmental heat stress,\u201d which involves working in an environment with an air temperature between 91.4 and 101.6 degrees Fahrenheit. The physiological effects of heat strain include dehydration, fainting, kidney injury and hyperthermia.<\/p>\n Workers who met one of the following criteria counted as experiencing occupational heat strain: having a core body temperature above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, experiencing at least one symptom of occupational heat strain, as defined by international health and safety guidelines, or having heat-induced elevated cholesterol levels.<\/p>\n In this analysis, the researchers found that people who worked a single shift under heat stress were four times more likely to experience occupational heat strain than those in normal (thermoneutral<\/a>) working conditions, which allow the body to maintain a normal temperature with little additional effort. Specifically, 35 percent of people who worked under heat stress experienced occupational heat strain.<\/p>\n Additionally, 30 percent of people working under heat stress reported productivity losses.<\/p>\n The effects of heat stress compound with the frequency of exposure \u2013 15 percent of people who worked under heat stress for at least six hours a day, five days a week, for two or more months of the year experienced kidney disease or acute kidney injury.<\/p>\n Flouris explained that the effect of heat strain is likely to exacerbate global economic inequalities.\u00a0 Hotter regions of the world tend to be poorer, and these economies will face additional challenges as global temperatures rise. Developing economies tend to rely more on manual labor, which further contributes to the risk of occupational heat strain.<\/p>\n In their paper, the authors make recommendations for how policy makers, employers and health care professionals can respond to these findings. \u201cConcerted international action is needed to mitigate the effects of occupational heat strain, particularly in light of climate change and the anticipated rise in environmental heat stress,\u201d the authors write. \u201cThe presented evidence shows the urgent need to establish a surveillance system to monitor prevalence of occupational heat strain throughout the world. At the same time, increased efforts should be made to educate workers and employers about the health and performance effects of occupational heat strain, and appropriate screening protocols should be incorporated within health and safety legislation. Importantly, physicians and other health-care providers can play a crucial part in the primary prevention and management of occupational heat strain.\u201d<\/p>\n Flouris said he is collaborating on a World Health Organization task force to develop guidelines to protect both workers\u2019 health and their employers. He added that there are some wearable technologies available for workers to alleviate heat, but they can be \u201cimpractical and quite expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n