Heat Related Illness Among Workers in Washington State: A Descriptive Study Using Workers’ Compensation Claims, 2006–2017

Details

• Personal Author:
  Adams D ; Bonauto, David ; Hesketh M ; Robinson A ; Smith C ; Wuellner S
• Description:
  Background: Heat related illness (HRI) places a significant burden on the health and safety of working populations and its impacts will likely increase with climate change. The aim of this study was to characterize the demographic and occupational characteristics of Washington workers who suffered from HRI from 2006 to 2017 using workers' compensation claims data. Methods: We used Washington workers' compensation data linked to weather station data to identify cases of work-related HRI. We utilized Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System codes, International Classification of Diseases 9/10 codes, and medical review to identify accepted and rejected Washington State (WA) workers' compensation claims for HRI from 2006 to 2017. We estimated rates of HRI by industry and evaluated patterns by ambient temperature. Results: We detected 918 confirmed Washington workers' compensation HRI claims from 2006 to 2017, 654 were accepted and 264 were rejected. Public Administration had the highest third quarter rate (131.3 per 100 000 full time employees FTE), followed by Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting (102.6 per 100 000 FTE). The median maximum daytime temperature was below the Washington heat rule threshold for 45% of the accepted HRI claims. Latinos were estimated to be overrepresented in HRI cases. Conclusion: The WA heat rule threshold may not be adequately protecting workers and racial disparities are present in occupational HRI. Employers should take additional precautions to prevent HRI depending on the intensity of heat exposure. States without heat rules and with large industry sectors disproportionately affected by HRI should consider regulations to protect outdoor workers in the face of more frequent and extreme heat waves. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Agriculture
  • Climate Change
  • Demography
  • Forestry
  • Hot Temperature
  • Hunting
  • Minority Health
  • Occupational Health
  • Preventive Medicine
  • Race Factors
  More +
• Keywords:
  • Work environment
  • Workers Compensation
  • Heat
  • Heat exposure
  • Climatic conditions
  • Climate change
  • Demographic characteristics
  • Temperature effects
  • Agriculture
  • Forestry
  More +
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  300-311
• Volume:
  63
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066390
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2020 Apr; 63(4):300-311
• Contact Point Address:
  David Bonauto MD, MPH, Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention Program, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, PO Box 44330, Olympia, WA 98504-4330
• Email:
  bone235@lni.wa.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20260630
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/212840/cdc_212840_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.10 MB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:eaef389096a6d4e9dab927671fdd75e884f17514f10d0768d76c29a7952125de2379312ee93e1f7042f6a85284d0fc4183c3100f9eeff178a066805a933cbc7c