Cooling Intervention Studies Among Outdoor Occupational Groups: A Review of the Literature

Details

• Personal Author:
  Chicas R ; Dickman NE ; Hertzberg VS ; McCauley L ; Scammell ML ; Steenland, Kyle ; Xiuhtecutli N
• Description:
  Background: The purpose of this systematic review is to examine cooling intervention research in outdoor occupations, evaluate the effectiveness of such interventions, and offer recommendations for future studies. This review focuses on outdoor occupational studies conducted at worksites or simulated occupational tasks in climatic chambers. Methods: This systematic review was performed in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched to identify original research on intervention studies published in peer-reviewed journals that aimed at reducing heat stress or heat-related illness from January 2000 to August 2020. Results: A systematic search yielded a total of 1042 articles, of which 21 met the inclusion criteria. Occupations with cooling intervention studies included agriculture (n = 5), construction (n = 5), industrial workers (n = 4), and firefighters (n = 7). The studies focused on multiple types of cooling interventions cooling gear (vest, bandanas, cooling shirts, or head-cooling gel pack), enhanced heat dissipation clothing, forearm or lower body immersion in cold water, water dousing, ingestion of a crushed ice slush drink, electrolyte liquid hydration, and modified Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommendations of drinking water and resting in the shade. Conclusion: Current evidence indicates that using multiple cooling gears along with rest cycles may be the most effective method to reduce heat-related illness. Occupational heat-related illnesses and death may be mitigated by targeted cooling intervention and workplace controls among workers of vulnerable occupational groups and industries. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Database Heat Exhaustion Heat Stress Disorders Hot Temperature Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Safety Temperature Workplace
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Cooling Interventions Climatic Conditions Climatic Effects Climatic Factors Cooling Systems Databases Drinking Water Effectiveness Research Heat-related Illness Heat Exposure Heat Reduction Heat Stress Heat Stroke Information Retrieval Systems Intervention Intervention Effectiveness Medical Research Occupational Health Occupations Outdoors Outdoor Workers Protective Clothing Recommendations Rest Periods Safety Research Systematic Reviews Temperature Effects Wearable Technologies Work Environment Work Intervals

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Arkansas ; Florida ; Georgia ; Louisiana ; Massachusetts ; North Carolina ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 6
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  63
• Issue:
  11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20060829
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2020 Nov; 63(11):988-1007
• Contact Point Address:
  Roxana Chicas, PhD, RN, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, 1520 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
• Email:
  rchicas@emory.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Performing Organization:
  Sunshine Education and Research Center, University of South Florida
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20290630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d5ca17581633fc356fc1653a31248e52ba37835f7925adc3daaac05b633e7991685fd45f9cfff2d86d7c1290ad1d96ff0690c1a668589e4f548be9f406331a86
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/224628/cdc_224628_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 972.69 KB ]