HEALTH IMPACT OF HEAT STRESS EXPOSURE IN AGRICULTURAL WORK

A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

Current knowledge of the dangers of heat stress in the workplace, related to global warming and the effects on heat stress, hydration status, and physical work capacity, is very limited in the workplace, particularly in the agricultural sector. With the aim of compiling the available evidence on the effects of global warming and heat stress on health, hydration status, and work capacity in the agricultural sector, a systematic review was conducted, retrieving reviews available in PubMed/MEDLINE and ScienceDirect, to obtain as many references as possible, filtered by "systematic review." The search was restricted to articles published in English and Spanish from 2012 to July 2024, resulting in 541 references being retrieved, and 13 articles were ultimately selected for in-depth analysis. The included articles were published between 2016 and July 2024, but the majority were published after 2018. Most studies addressed illnesses and injuries associated with workplace heat stress. Heat risk factors and exposure in outdoor workers and heat stress metrics were discussed in six studies. Four articles mentioned heat cooling or mitigation measures and their relationship to fatigue. The conclusion is that due to global warming, an increase in the frequency and intensity of weather is expected, making workplace heat exposure a growing challenge for ergonomics. Workers exposed to extreme heat or who work in hot environments are at greater risk for fatigue, especially those in developing countries in tropical regions. These workers include agricultural workers, construction workers, firefighters, miners, soldiers, and manufacturing workers, among others.