Outcomes for a Heat Illness Prevention Program in Outdoor Workers: A 9-Year Overview

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Environmental Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Heat-related illness (HRI) poses a significant risk to outdoor workers.
• Heat illness prevention programs (HIPP) are essential for mitigating these risks.
• The impact of specific program components, like medical surveillance, requires evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of removing medical surveillance from a HIPP on HRI rates.
• To analyze changes in HRI frequency and workers' compensation costs after program modification.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 329 outdoor workers (2011-2019).
• Comparison of HRI rates under a comprehensive HIPP versus a modified HIPP (mHIPP) without medical surveillance.
• Analysis of workers' compensation data.

Main Results:

• HRI rates decreased significantly during the initial HIPP (19.5 to 1.01 per 1000 workers).
• Following the removal of medical surveillance in the mHIPP, HRI rates increased to 7.6 per 1000 workers.
• The increase in HRI cases, though small, indicates a potential impact of removing medical surveillance.

Conclusions:

• Medical surveillance may be a critical component of heat illness prevention programs.
• The removal of medical surveillance from a HIPP may lead to an increase in heat-related illnesses.
• Continued evaluation of HIPP components is necessary to optimize worker safety.