Citation

Gubernot DM, Anderson GB, Hunting KL. Int. J. Biometeorol. 2013; 58(8): 1779-1788.

Affiliation

Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Washington, DC, USA, gubernot@alumni.gwu.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, International Society of Biometeorology, Publisher Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s00484-013-0752-x

PMID

24326903

Abstract

In recent years, the United States has experienced record-breaking summer heat. Climate change models forecast increasing US temperatures and more frequent heat wave events in the coming years. Exposure to environmental heat is a significant, but overlooked, workplace hazard that has not been well-characterized or studied. The working population is diverse; job function, age, fitness level, and risk factors to heat-related illnesses vary. Yet few studies have examined or characterized the incidence of occupational heat-related morbidity and mortality. There are no federal regulatory standards to protect workers from environmental heat exposure. With climate change as a driver for adaptation and prevention of heat disorders, crafting policy to characterize and prevent occupational heat stress for both indoor and outdoor workers is increasingly sensible, practical, and imperative.

Language: en