Heat Exposure and Heat Illness among Sugarcane Workers In Nongbuadaeng District Chaiyaphum Province

Abstract

This cross-sectional descriptive study was designed to assess heat expose and heat-related illness of sugarcane cutter in Nongbuadaeng district Chaiyaphum province. There were 379 participants included in the study that collected data on December 2020 – February 2021 by the interviewed questionnaire for their personal characteristics, work behavior, heat related symptoms, recording of air velocity, relative humidity and measurement of wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) in the work environment. The results show that heat related symptom affected in 70.71% of workers. Sugarcane cutters had thirsty (43.83), reduced work efficiency (38.26) and dry cracking skin (32.80), respectively. Concerning the severity, the top two severe symptoms were muscle fatigue on arm/leg/digestive organs, faint, and leg or arm edema. For work environment, the relative humidity was 51%RH - 64 %RH, air velocity was 9-18 km/h. The mean WBGT was 30.64 with the maximum of 31.20ºC. Comparing to heat stress standard showed that it was at moderate risk on heath adverse. These findings raise the medical surveillance program and conducting heat risk assessment of sugarcane cutter, to prevent heat exposure that induce heat-related illness of sugarcane cutter.