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. 2023 Feb 4;20(4):2781.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20042781.

Effects of Temperatures and Heatwaves on Occupational Injuries in the Agricultural Sector in Italy

Chiara Di Blasi  1 , Alessandro Marinaccio  2 , Claudio Gariazzo  2 , Luca Taiano  2 , Michela Bonafede  2 , Antonio Leva  2 , Marco Morabito  3 , Paola Michelozzi  1 , Francesca K De' Donato  1 , On Behalf Of The Worklimate Collaborative Group
Affiliations

Effects of Temperatures and Heatwaves on Occupational Injuries in the Agricultural Sector in Italy

Chiara Di Blasi et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The effects of heat on health have been well documented, while less is known about the effects among agricultural workers. Our aim is to estimate the effects and impacts of heat on occupational injuries in the agricultural sector in Italy. Occupational injuries in the agricultural sector from the Italian national workers' compensation authority (INAIL) and daily mean air temperatures from Copernicus ERA5-land for a five-year period (2014-2018) were considered. Distributed lag non-linear models (DLNM) were used to estimate the relative risk and attributable injuries for increases in daily mean air temperatures between the 75th and 99th percentile and during heatwaves. Analyses were stratified by age, professional qualification, and severity of injury. A total of 150,422 agricultural injuries were considered and the overall relative risk of injury for exposure to high temperatures was 1.13 (95% CI: 1.08; 1.18). A higher risk was observed among younger workers (15-34 years) (1.23 95% CI: 1.14; 1.34) and occasional workers (1.25 95% CI: 1.03; 1.52). A total of 2050 heat-attributable injuries were estimated in the study period. Workers engaged in outdoor and labour-intensive activities in the agricultural sector are at greater risk of injury and these results can help target prevention actions for climate change adaptation.

Keywords: agricultural sector; heat waves; occupational injuries; temperatures; timeseries studies; work-related injuries.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Daily mean air temperature and occupational injuries in the agricultural sector in Italy in the period 2014–2018. Air temperature is expressed at municipal resolution, while injuries are at the regional level.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Meta-analytical exposure-response curve between daily mean air temperature and occupational injuries in the agricultural sector in Italy in the period 2014–2018. Estimates are expressed as Relative Risks (thick lines) and 95% confidence bands.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relative Risks (and 95% confidence intervals) of work-related injuries in the agricultural sector for increases in daily mean temperature between 75th to 99th percentile (period 2014–2018). Square size represents the robustness of the estimates.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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