Heat Stress Vulnerability among Indian Workmen

Abstract

The average global temperature increase is estimated to go up by 1.8-4.0 0C by the next century. This climate change ought to affect populations where the burden of climate-sensitive disease is high – such as the urban poor in low- and middle-income countries. Particularly in industrial applications, heat generates during manufacturing process. This heat transmits to the environment to make it hotter, as well as the community, especially affecting workers involved in the operation. The primary outcomes of working in such environment leads to three kinds of major heat-related disorders-heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Understanding the quantifiable volume of health impacts due to work habits in hot working environment would provide multiple avenues of suitable intervention. Elucidating the multiple avenues of work pattern, physical and physiological attributes would generate knowledgebase and yield numerically defined susceptibility limits of workers occupational front. The present chapter provides directions to research into the heat related health profile of Indian workmen which would ascertain the relative vulnerability of different occupational groups to their workplace heat eventuality.