U.S. flag An official website of the United States government.
Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

i

Heat Illness and Renal Injury in Mail and Package Delivery Workers



Details

  • Personal Author:
    Tannis C
  • Description:
    According to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) data, heat-related illnesses (HRIs) are common in mail and package delivery workers, including employees who work for the largest delivery companies in the United States. A review of OSHA's severe injury report (SIR) database from January 2015 to December 2019 found 213 heat-related hospitalizations (HRH) among employees of the three largest delivery companies: the United States Postal Service (USPS), United Parcel Service (UPS), and Federal Express (FedEx).1 During this 5-year period, USPS and UPS reported more heat-related hospitalizations than any other single US company in any industry. ... In addition, occupational exposure to excess heat can cause both acute and chronic kidney injury. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a sudden loss of the kidneys' ability to filter waste products from the blood. Heat-related AKI can occur via two mechanisms. Profuse sweating can produce dehydration, and heat strain causes circulatory changes that reduce blood flow to internal organs, resulting in decreased function and prerenal AKI. Prerenal AKI is often temporary and reversible with intravenous fluid administration, but this does not preclude long-lasting sequelae, especially among those with underlying kidney disease, the prevalence of which has increased concurrently with diabetes and obesity epidemic in the United States. The second mechanism of heat-related AKI is rhabdomyolysis. Physical activity in hot conditions causes breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue, releasing chemicals such as myoglobin that harm the kidneys' internal structures. There is also evidence that heat stress can cause chronic kidney injury. ... The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, the employers, and labor organizations that represent mail and package delivery workers represent three key stakeholders who could collaborate to address the issue of AKI and CKD using a public health approach. [Description provided by NIOSH]
  • Subjects:
  • Keywords:
  • ISSN:
    0271-3586
  • Document Type:
    Text
  • Funding:
    Grant
  • Genre:
    Journal Article
  • Place as Subject:
  • CIO:
    National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
  • Topic:
    Workplace Safety & Health
  • Location:
    North America
  • Volume:
    63
  • Issue:
    11
  • NIOSHTIC Number:
    nn:20060719
  • Citation:
    Am J Ind Med 2020 Nov; 63(11):1059-1061
  • Contact Point Address:
    Candace Tannis, Mount Sinai Hospital, 1 Gustave Levy Place, Box 1057, New York, NY 10029
  • Email:
    Candace.Tannis@mssm.edu
  • Federal Fiscal Year:
    2021
  • Performing Organization:
    Mount Sinai School of Medicine
  • Peer Reviewed:
    False
  • Start Date:
    20050701
  • Source Full Name:
    American Journal of Industrial Medicine
  • End Date:
    20270630
  • Collection(s):
  • Main Document Checksum:
    urn:sha-512:ec3b4bcf9d523d9c4598a06951a9d0655a4317751d99b7e298e503d4179aadcc2a15a8893d4d528b4a23b0244f119e2bcdef6145f4784b22d1c1d1fedd649a68
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 270.22 KB ]
PREVIOUS
ON THIS PAGE
Details
CDC STACKS serves as an archival repository of CDC-published products including scientific findings, journal articles, guidelines, recommendations, or other public health information authored or co-authored by CDC or funded partners.

As a repository, CDC STACKS retains documents in their original published format to ensure public access to scientific information.
BACK TO TOP