Association between extreme temperature exposure and occupational injuries among construction workers in Italy: An analysis of risk factors.
Accident characteristics
Compensation claim
Heat-wave
Meta-analysis
Risk
Time-series
Journal
Environment international
ISSN: 1873-6750
Titre abrégé: Environ Int
Pays: Netherlands
ID NLM: 7807270
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
01 2023
01 2023
Historique:
received:
03
10
2022
revised:
10
11
2022
accepted:
03
12
2022
pubmed:
11
12
2022
medline:
24
1
2023
entrez:
10
12
2022
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Extreme temperatures have impact on the health and occupational injuries. The construction sector is particularly exposed. This study aims to investigate the association between extreme temperatures and occupation injuries in this sector, getting an insight in the main accidents-related parameters. Occupational injuries in the construction sector, with characteristic of accidents, were retrieved from Italian compensation data during years 2014-2019. Air temperatures were derived from ERA5-land Copernicus dataset. A region based time-series analysis, in which an over-dispersed Poisson generalized linear regression model, accounting for potential non-linearity of the exposure- response curve and delayed effect, was applied, and followed by a meta-analysis of region-specific estimates to obtain a national estimate. The relative risk (RR) and attributable cases of work-related injuries for an increase in mean temperature above the 75th percentile (hot) and for a decrease below the 25th percentile (cold) were estimated, with effect modifications by different accidents-related parameters. The study identified 184,936 construction occupational injuries. There was an overall significant effect for high temperatures (relative risk (RR) 1.216 (95% CI: (1.095-1.350))) and a protective one for low temperatures (RR 0.901 (95% CI: 0.843-0.963)). For high temperatures we estimated 3,142 (95% CI: 1,772-4,482) attributable cases during the studied period. RRs from 1.11 to 1.30 were found during heat waves days. Unqualified workers, as well as masons and plumbers, were found to be at risk at high temperatures. Construction, quarry and industrial sites were the risky working environments, as well as specific physical activities like working with hand-held tools, operating with machine and handling of objects. Contact with sharp, pointed, rough, coarse 'Material Agent' were the more risky mode of injury in hot conditions. Prevention policies are needed to reduce the exposure to high temperatures of construction workers. Such policies will become a critical issue considering climate change.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND/AIM
Extreme temperatures have impact on the health and occupational injuries. The construction sector is particularly exposed. This study aims to investigate the association between extreme temperatures and occupation injuries in this sector, getting an insight in the main accidents-related parameters.
METHODS
Occupational injuries in the construction sector, with characteristic of accidents, were retrieved from Italian compensation data during years 2014-2019. Air temperatures were derived from ERA5-land Copernicus dataset. A region based time-series analysis, in which an over-dispersed Poisson generalized linear regression model, accounting for potential non-linearity of the exposure- response curve and delayed effect, was applied, and followed by a meta-analysis of region-specific estimates to obtain a national estimate. The relative risk (RR) and attributable cases of work-related injuries for an increase in mean temperature above the 75th percentile (hot) and for a decrease below the 25th percentile (cold) were estimated, with effect modifications by different accidents-related parameters.
RESULTS
The study identified 184,936 construction occupational injuries. There was an overall significant effect for high temperatures (relative risk (RR) 1.216 (95% CI: (1.095-1.350))) and a protective one for low temperatures (RR 0.901 (95% CI: 0.843-0.963)). For high temperatures we estimated 3,142 (95% CI: 1,772-4,482) attributable cases during the studied period. RRs from 1.11 to 1.30 were found during heat waves days. Unqualified workers, as well as masons and plumbers, were found to be at risk at high temperatures. Construction, quarry and industrial sites were the risky working environments, as well as specific physical activities like working with hand-held tools, operating with machine and handling of objects. Contact with sharp, pointed, rough, coarse 'Material Agent' were the more risky mode of injury in hot conditions.
CONCLUSIONS
Prevention policies are needed to reduce the exposure to high temperatures of construction workers. Such policies will become a critical issue considering climate change.
Identifiants
pubmed: 36495676
pii: S0160-4120(22)00604-3
doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107677
pii:
doi:
Types de publication
Meta-Analysis
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
107677Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.