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. 2022 Jul 4;19(13):8196.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19138196.

Workers' Perception Heat Stress: Results from a Pilot Study Conducted in Italy during the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020

Michela Bonafede  1 , Miriam Levi  2 , Emma Pietrafesa  1 , Alessandra Binazzi  1 , Alessandro Marinaccio  1 , Marco Morabito  3 , Iole Pinto  4 , Francesca De' Donato  5 , Valentina Grasso  6 , Tiziano Costantini  5 , Alessandro Messeri  6   7   8 ; WORKLIMATE Collaborative Group
Affiliations

Workers' Perception Heat Stress: Results from a Pilot Study Conducted in Italy during the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020

Michela Bonafede et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Many workers are exposed to the effects of heat and often to extreme temperatures. Heat stress has been further aggravated during the COVID-19 pandemic by the use of personal protective equipment to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, workers' risk perception of heat stress is often low, with negative effects on their health and productivity. The study aims to identify workers' needs and gaps in knowledge, suggesting the adaptation of measures that best comply with the needs of both workers and employers. A cross-sectional online questionnaire survey was conducted in Italy in the hottest months of 2020 (June-October) through different multimedia channels. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics; analytical tests and analysis of variance were used to evaluate differences between groups of workers. In total, 345 questionnaires were collected and analyzed. The whole sample of respondents declared that heat is an important contributor to productivity loss and 83% of workers did not receive heat warnings from their employer. In this context, the internet is considered as the main source of information about heat-related illness in the workplace. Results highlight the need to increase workers' perception of heat stress in the workplace to safeguard their health and productivity. About two-thirds of the sample stated that working in the sun without access to shaded areas, working indoors without adequate ventilation, and nearby fire, steam, and hot surfaces, represent the main injuries' risk factors.

Keywords: heat exposure; heat stress prevention measures; occupational injuries; risk knowledge; risk perception.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Air temperatures anomalies in Italy during the period June–October 2020 (A), July (B), and August 2020 (C) compared to the reference period 1981–2010. Data obtained from https://psl.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/data/composites/printpage.pl, accessed on 27 January 2022.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Frequencies and percentages of answers to the question 77—What are your main sources of information on the prevention of heat-related diseases in the workplace? (Multiple choice).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Frequencies and percentages of answers to the question 80—In general, how much do you think heat contributes to the loss of productivity?
Figure 4
Figure 4
Percentages of answers to question 81—To what extent do you think that each of the following conditions can hinder prevention of heat-related occupational injuries? (A 5-point Likert scale from 1 = no obstacle at all to 5 = a very important obstacle).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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