Potential Impacts of Different Occupational Outdoor Heat Exposure Thresholds Among Washington State Crop and Construction Workers and Implications for Other Jurisdictions

Details

• Personal Author:
  Austin E ; Cohen M ; Flunker JC ; Jung J ; Kasner E ; Seto E ; Spector JT ; Zuidema C
• Description:
  Occupational heat exposure is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality among outdoor workers. We sought to descriptively evaluate spatiotemporal variability in heat threshold exceedances and describe potential impacts of these exposures for crop and construction workers. We also present general considerations for approaching heat policy-relevant analyses. We analyzed county-level 2011-2020 monthly employment (Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages) and environmental exposure (Parameter-elevation Relationships on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM)) data for Washington State (WA), USA, crop (North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 111 and 1151) and construction (NAICS 23) sectors. Days exceeding maximum daily temperature thresholds, averaged per county, were linked with employment estimates to generate employment days of exceedances. We found spatiotemporal variability in WA temperature threshold exceedances and crop and construction employment. Maximum temperature exceedances peaked in July and August and were most numerous in Central WA counties. Counties with high employment and/or high numbers of threshold exceedance days, led by Yakima and King Counties, experienced the greatest total employment days of exceedances. Crop employment contributed to the largest proportion of total state-wide employment days of exceedances with Central WA counties experiencing the greatest potential workforce burden of exposure. Considerations from this analysis can help inform decision-making regarding thresholds, timing of provisions for heat rules, and tailoring of best practices in different industries and areas. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Construction Industry Hot Temperature Occupational Health Safety Temperature
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Workers Author Keywords: Occupational Heat Exposure Construction Workers Crop And Construction Employment Heat Exposure Heat Rule Hot Environments Maximum Temperature Exceedances Outdoor Workers Policy Temperature Effects Washington State

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• ISSN:
  1660-4601
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant ; 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
• Volume:
  19
• Issue:
  18
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066927
• Citation:
  Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022 Sep; 19(8):11583
• Contact Point Address:
  June T. Spector, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, Hans Rosling Center for Population Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
• Email:
  spectj@uw.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:bca2a2561ab7bee44b91601c1f1db3af20924a2eb53493a8f3b8113eab3b5036fe98cd66797c96e3abaae20bad54297283f960e611e00767e8bf063430710de8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/231210/cdc_231210_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 7.50 MB ]