THE HEAT LOAD OF SLOVENIAN WORKERS

Abstract

The rise in air temperatures and the aging of working population are expected to cause higher heat stress for European workers. In a warm environment the brain diverts more blood to the skin surface, but when there is an excess of heat, the internal systems start to fail. Heat-induced health problems are mainly caused by the loss of fluids and salts. Employers must take into account that aging decreases the effectiveness of the sweat glands, heart, and lungs. The thermal comfort of 80% of workers is considered to be a reasonable lower limit to ensure thermal comfort in the working area. Of the 808 workers in this survey, heat stress was highest for workers in factories, where 45% of them stated that during heatwaves it is extremely hot, for 20% it is too hot and for 20% hot. For this reason the highest proportion of manufacturing workers experience a negative heat stress impact on well-being (75%) and concentration (67%), but their productivity must stay at the same level due to working standards. By contrast, 17% of tourist guides assess that their working capacity is reduced by more than 30% during heat waves. Thirst, excessive sweating, and tiredness appear to be fairly common during work in summer, and also dizziness in women. During heatwaves, a large proportion of workers experience headaches, exhaustion, nausea or vomiting, and even worse health problems – heat cramps were experienced by both manufacturing and farm workers, but heat stroke only in the manufacturing sector. Following recommendations, employers should inform their employees of the risks of working in hot conditions and about first aid. They should provide the best possible thermal comfort in the workplace, more breaks in cooler areas, an adjusted working schedule, more appropriate clothing, allow for regular drinking water, and in the hottest workplaces, rotation and pair work.