Construction workers face various health hazards, risks, and injuries while working outdoor at construction sites, this will also significantly impact their physical, mental health and productivity. Thermal stress is among the main hazards affecting heavily construction workers. With climatic conditions of most of the cities in the world, there has been a general increase in average temperature which would expose the workers to extreme heat especially in summer. Construction workers who are affected by this high temperature are at elevated risk of heat stress, which may lead to an increased heartbeat and blood pressure, stress and fatigue, heatstroke, and chronic heart disorders. This article aims to review the characteristics and health effects of heat exposure among construction industry workers and to summarize findings from published studies, and ultimately recommending control measures for workplace heat exposure reduction, adaptations, and further research options. Globally, the literature on the effects of scorching heat on the health of outdoor workers has received limited attention, although, substantial numbers of workers are experiencing the health effects of working outdoors in elevated temperatures and humid environments. The impacts of extreme heat exposure on workers’ health, safety, and productivity have been discussed in this review article. The prospective health effects of such exposures are underestimated due to the underreporting of heat illnesses. More research studies need to be done in order to quantify the impacts of workplace heat exposure exacerbated by climate change in recent years.
Dr. Alberto Caban-Martinez on Firefighter Cancer Risks From EV Fires
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/04/26
Dr. Alberto Caban-Martinez, Deputy Director of Sylvester’s Firefighter Cancer Initiative, discusses the unique hazards of electric vehicle (EV) fires. Unlike conventional fires, EV fires release toxic metals from battery combustion, posing long-term health risks to…
Be Alert to Radiation Hazards by National Library of Medicine
Via Flickr:
Contributor(s): National Institutes of Health (U.S.). Radiation Safety Section. Publication: [Bethesda, Md.] : Radiation Safety Section, [199-?] Language(s): English Format: Still image Subject(s): Radiation Protection, Occupational Exposure -- prevention & control Genre(s): Posters Abstract: A goofy looking man in a bow tie and a lab coat stands in front of the symbol for radiation. Extent: 1 photomechanical print (poster) : 56 x 36 cm. Technique: color NLM Unique ID: 101453997 NLM Image ID: C00632 Permanent Link: resource.nlm.nih.gov/101453997
Ensuring safety and health at work in a changing climate.
Workers are currently facing serious health impacts from
climate change-related hazards.
A staggering number of workers are already being exposed to climate changerelated hazards in the workplace, and these figures are only likely to get worse. Many of these workers lose their life following such exposures, succumbing to fatal diseases, such as cancers and cardiovascular diseases, or develop debilitating chronic conditions and disabilities. Some worker populations may be especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change and therefore may need extra protective measures, for example, agricultural workers and other outdoor workers carrying out heavy labour in hot climates.
Current OSH policies may need to be adapted and new climate
change-specific policies created:
As climate change hazards evolve and intensify, it may be necessary to reevaluate existing legislation or create new regulations and guidance, to ensure that workers are properly protected. OSH
considerations should be mainstreamed into climate-related policies, and climate concerns should be integrated into OSH practice. Any new legislation or policies should leverage synergies with existing
legislation, such as global normative instruments.
Enhanced research and a stronger evidence base are needed to guide response.
At present, the scientific evidence base is extremely limited in many critical areas and what does exist is frequently focused on public health, rather than occupational health. Comprehensive, high-quality
research is needed to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of preventive OSH measures in different countries and sectors.
Social dialogue is the foundation for effective OSH responses in
a changing world of work.
OSH policies and programmes should be coordinated among government departments, including ministries of labour and ministries of health, to ensure policy coherence. Social dialogue between governments and social partners is also needed for the development of climate change mitigation and adaptation policies,
as workers and employers are best placed to take appropriate action in the workplace.
Greening practices can also bring new OSH challenges.
Enterprises are playing an important role in climate change mitigation strategies, by finding ways to reduce workplace
emissions and implementing sustainable work practices. Green industries and technologies are also emerging to respond
to this global emergency and could help in mitigation over the long term. However, green technologies may in some cases create or amplify OSH hazards and risks, especially if the appropriate infrastructure and OSH protections have not yet been developed.
The increased political profile of the climate-health nexus
Nevertheless, positive steps are being taken in the right direction. As recognition of the climate-health nexus continues to grow globally, new OSH policies are being implemented to specifically address
climate change hazards. Momentum from global initiatives such as COP 28 should be harnessed to continue to raise the political
profile of human health, and in particular worker health, in order to negotiate for better protections for workers at the highest levels.
Climate change and occupational safety and health. - Téléchargez le document au format PDF ou consultez-le gratuitement en ligne
1.6 billion workers are estimated to be exposed to solar radiation.
"Climate change and safety and health at work." World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2024, April 28th.
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a form of non-ionizing radiation that is emitted by the sun and artificial sources, such as tanning beds.
Ozone is A molecule consisting of three oxygen atoms (O3). Most of the Earth’s ozone is in the stratosphere in what is often referred to as “the ozone layer”. Ozone is created by the interaction of diatomic oxygen (O2) with ultraviolet (UV) radiation. UV radiation splits O2 into two separate oxygen atoms that then react with another O2 molecule to form O3. Beginning in the late 1970s, scientists observed that stratospheric ozone concentrations were depleted, determined to be a result of the reaction of stratospheric ozone with industrial halogens such as CFCs and other artificial compounds. Since the ozone layer absorbs some bands of solar UV radiation, the most direct threat to human health from this depletion is an increase in skin cancers. The lowest levels of stratospheric ozone occurred in 1992–1993. Stratospheric ozone levels are now increasing, in part due to the 1987 Montreal Protocol and subsequent reductions of CFCs. Full regeneration of the ozone layer will take several decades. At ground level, ozone is formed by chemical reactions between nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the presence of sunlight. Ozone in the troposphere is considered a secondary pollutant. Commonly cited negative impacts of tropospheric ozone include distress to the human respiratory system and decreased visibility, particularly in urban areas (Armstrong 1994; UN Environment Program 1998).
Heat-related mortality is conflating deaths occurring during the warm season and deaths attributed to heat. The latest ICD-10 codes (WHO 2011b) that consider heat-related causes of death are included in T67 (effects of heat and light), which incorporates T67.0 (heatstroke and sunstroke), T67.1 (heat syncope), T67.2 (heat cramp), T67.3 (heat exhaustion, anhydrotic), T67.4 (heat exhaustion due to salt depletion), T67.5 (heat exhaustion, unspecified), T67.6 (heat fatigue, transient), T67.7 (heat oedema), T67.8 (other effects of heat and light) and T67.9 (effect of heat and light, unspecified). These have been used in recent studies; e.g. Beggs and Vaneckova (2008) but the majority of studies tend to calculate “excess mortality” (Gosling et al. 2009) from time series of all-cause mortality, or from other causes (e.g. ischemic heart disease).
Silica is the most plentiful mineral on earth and is the primary constituent in most rocks.
The respirable form of silica is small enough to reach the terminal bronchioles and alveoli of the respiratory system.
Typical immune mechanisms cannot clear these particles from the lung, initiating a pathologic cycle of inflammation and parenchymal damage that ultimately leads to silicosis.
Silicosis is the world's most prevalent occupational lung disease and is characterized by irreversible, progressive pulmonary fibrosis leading to restrictive lung disease. Silicosis is a preventable disease with significant morbidity and mortality that has no cure.
Education on prevention, screening, timely diagnosis, avoidance of exacerbating factors, and treatment of complications is imperative.
Silicosis, a type of pneumoconiosis, occurs secondary to the inhalation of RCS and causes progressive, irreversible, and fatal lung inflammation and fibrosis.While the condition is preventable, no treatment exists.
Silicosis increases susceptibility to Mycobacterial diseases, autoimmune diseases, and bronchogenic carcinoma.
Silica, or silicon dioxide (SiO2), comprises a silicon atom and 2 oxygen atoms.[1] Silica is the most plentiful mineral on Earth, distribut
The exposure most commonly associated with pulmonary sarcoidosis was silica, reported in 33 studies. Given its abundance and the prevalent breakdown of minerals in industry, silica exposure is common in occupations such as iron foundry, construction work, and mining. In addition to sarcoidosis, silica previously has been linked to autoimmune inflammatory conditions.
Occupational exposure to silica, pesticides, and mold may be linked to an increased risk of pulmonary sarcoidosis, meta-analysis shows.
Here, we describe an unexpected diagnosis made in an asymptomatic 33-year-old female worker employed for 4 years at a quarry for rhyodacite and rhyolite which contain 70% silicon dioxide.
Key learning points
What is already known about this subject:
Traditional silica exposure industries such as quarries continue to contribute to silicosis despite artificial stone related silicosis renewing attention.
What this study adds:
Any worker in at-risk industries with respirable crystalline silica exposure should have silicosis as a potential differential diagnosis, regardless of gender or role description.
A safe silica dust exposure level is not known and is likely not to exist.
What impact may this have on practice or policy:
Implementation and adherence to preventative measures need to occur throughout workplaces handling silica-containing stone, not just at the stone-cutting interface.
Summary. Silicosis is a progressive and irreversible fibrotic occupational lung disease caused by inhalation of respirable crystalline silic
