Knowledge, Attitude and Safety Behavior Associated with Physical Symptoms of Heat Exposure among Production Employees in A Metal Melting Factory, Chonburi Province

Abstract

This research was a cross-sectional descriptive to study the factors of knowledge, attitude and safety behavior and physical symptoms of heat exposure and to study the factor of knowledge, attitude and safety behavior associated with physical symptoms of heat exposure of 101 production employees in a metal melting factory in Chonburi province. The research instruments were the questionnaire, wet bulb globe temperature or WBGT. Data were analyzed using the descriptive statistics and chi-square test (P-value < 0.05). The result showed that the most of samples had a high knowledge level (90.10%), a high attitude level (79.21%), and a high safety behavior level (96.04%). Employees had one physical symptom of heat exposure within 1 week (62.38%), the top 3 physical symptoms being heat exhaustion (47.52%), dehydration (45.54%), and heat rash (42.75%). Factors associated with physical symptoms of heat exposure showed that sex, drinking minerals, drinking alcohol, previous illness from heat exposure and break time in the working period. Therefore, the occupational health care agencies should be integrated and cooperation networks to set safety standards and guidelines for occupational health surveillance including the continued development of technology and information in heat exposure.