Factors associated with heat strain among workers at an aluminum smelter in Texas

Details

• Personal Author:
  Dang BN ; Dowell, Chad H.
• Description:
  OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of heat strain and factors associated with heat strain among workers at an aluminum smelter in Texas. METHODS: Continuous core body temperature (Tc), heart rate, and pre- and postshift serum electrolytes, and urine specific gravity were measured, and symptom questionnaires were administered. RESULTS: Most participants (54%) had 1 or more signs of heat strain. Unacclimatized participants were significantly more likely to exceed the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists-recommended Tc than acclimatized participants (88% vs 20%; P < 0.01). Participants who exceeded the Tc for their acclimatization status and/or exceeded the recommended sustained peak HR had a significantly lower body mass index than those who did not (27.6 vs 31.8 and 28.4 vs 32.4, respectively; P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Employees and management need to strictly adhere to a heat stress management program to minimize heat stress and strain. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aluminum Compounds Body Temperature Body Weight Cardiovascular System Heat Stress Disorders Hot Temperature Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Metals Metal Workers Occupational Health Safety Surveys And Questionnaires Urine

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• Keywords:
  Acclimatization Aluminum-foundries Biological-monitoring Body-temperature Body-weight Electrolytes Electrolytic-analysis Heart-rate Heat Heat-acclimatization Heat-exposure Heat-regulation Heat-stress Hot-environments Hot-metal-processes Industrial-factory-workers Questionnaires Smelters Smelting Urinalysis

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• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 6 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies ; OD - Office of the Director
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  313-318
• Volume:
  56
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20043736
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Med 2014 Mar; 56(3):313-318
• Contact Point Address:
  Chad H. Dowell, MS, CIH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30333
• Email:
  cdowell@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Aluminum (CAS RN 7429-90-5)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7e4276d46705aba803b1a8c09b07e97eb75824187270fe80273593f24b457223dd9dee8ca42de2dec81f9095771eb3df9c673ba409dd8762060178f4bef21919
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/195557/cdc_195557_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 106.10 KB ]