E1: Research Roundup Hazard Recognition/Heat Related Illnesses

This presentation focuses on multiple studies that assess Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data on occupational heat-related illnesses and fatalities over the past 30 years. The studies analyzed trends in illnesses and fatalities, their relationship with national and state-level average annual temperatures, and patterns by industry and occupation nationally and by state and OSHA regions. 

This research aimed to quantify the relationship between extreme heat events (EHEs) and occupational heat-related illnesses (e.g., heat prostration), and non-heat-related illnesses (e.g., myocardial infarction and respiratory disorder). Workers in two distinct climate zones, the subtropical climate zone of Florida and the continental climate zone of New York were analyzed. This research also aimed to quantify the projected impact of EHEs on occupational illnesses in the future based on the attributable fraction of illness from increased frequency and intensity of EHEs. With the recent proposed federal regulation of occupational heat exposure, there is a critical need to characterize the temporal relationship between HRI and EHE among workers in different climate zones. The most recent National Climate Assessment suggests that the frequency, duration, and intensity of EHEs have been increasing in the U.S. This trend is likely to continue. Millions of U.S. workers are at risk of increased morbidity and mortality and the resulting loss of productivity. This preventable illness burden results from inattention to a new era of work conducted in a climate featuring more frequent and intense EHE.