Title

Risk Analysis of Occupational Heat-Related Illness

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2022

Abstract

Heat-related illness (HRI) has become a particular concern in recent years. Many industry workers are affected by HRI due to prolonged exposure to heat and humidity. HRI is a well-known health threat that can lead to serious morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to recognize HRIs characteristics and risk factors by reviewing the HRI incident report between 1984 and 2020. Data cleaning and text mining methods were used to derive incident features and relevant risk factors. The results showed that trucks and roofs are the highest incidence locations and the main symptoms of HRI are collapse, dehydration, dizziness, and vomit. In the 1,406 incident cases, 43.8% of HRIs were fatal. The findings revealed that 89.7% of HRI patients were male with an average age of 41.4. Besides, HRIs were highly influence by season and time of day, with 77% of incidents in the summer months and 64.1% between 11 am and 5 pm. Furthermore, between 1984 and 2020, HRI demonstrated a considerable upward tendency. The findings will assist employers and safety professionals to take appropriate actions to eliminate or reduce the identified risk factors.

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