Industrial Health
Online ISSN : 1880-8026
Print ISSN : 0019-8366
ISSN-L : 0019-8366
Short Communication
Current and Future Heat Stress in Nicaraguan Work Places under a Changing Climate
Perry E. SHEFFIELDJuan Gabriel Ruiz HERRERABruno LEMKETord KJELLSTROMLuis E. Blanco ROMERO
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JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2013 Volume 51 Issue 1 Pages 123-127

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Abstract

While climate change continues to increase ambient temperatures, the resulting heat stress exposure to workers in non-climate controlled settings is not well characterized, particularly in low and middle income countries. This preliminary report describes current heat stress in Nicaraguan work places and estimates occupational heat stress in 2050. From over 400 measurements of heat exposure using wet bulb globe temperature, more than 10% of all measurements exceeded the safety threshold for the combination of light work and rest at the ratio of 25:75. By 2050, that percentage of “over-heated” days is projected to increase to over 15%. These findings support the idea that common working conditions in Nicaragua already represent a threat to the health and safety of the workers and that climate change driven trends could mean either a necessary curbing of economic productivity or an increased threat to worker health and safety.

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© 2013 by National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
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