Documents heat 17 results

"This study presents a heat job exposure matrix (JEM) that enables epidemiological research on occupational heat stress across Europe and informs policy by identifying high-risk jobs and regions. The JEM integrates occupation-, region-, and year-specific factors in a transparent framework, allowing for updates with new data and extension to other years and regions."

This work is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

"La réglementation européenne et belge concernant les ambiances thermiques de travail demande que chaque entreprise cherche à éviter ou à réduire l'exposition des travailleurs à ce facteur de risque. Conformément à la stratégie SOBANE de gestion des risques professionnels, cette brochure décrit une méthode à quatre niveaux : dépistage, observation, analyse et expertise qui devrait permettre de mieux prévenir et /ou corriger les risques liés aux ambiances thermiques de travail. La brochure comprend une série de fiches d'aide. Elle a été rédigée par le professeur Jacques Malchaire, chef de l'unité hygiène et physiologie du travail de l'UCL, qui a coordonné le projet SOBANE cofinancé par le SPF Emploi, Travail et Concertation sociale et le Fonds social européen."

"The transition into sustainable practices, decarbonization strategies and climate-mitigation policies, presents new challenges for occupational safety and health (OSH). The policies outlined in the European Green Deal to facilitate the green transition are expected to significantly impact heavy industry, such as the construction sector. The fragmented structure of this sector presents challenges to the effective implementation of OSH policies. Collective representation, through trade unions and works councils, plays a pivotal role in safeguarding OSH standards throughout the green transition. This paper examines the role of collective representation in safeguarding workers' occupational safety and health in the construction sector amidst the green transition in the Netherlands and Spain. In the Netherlands, works councils hold significant rights to influence OSH policies, particularly in response to technological changes. In Spain, there has been a growing integration of green clauses within collective labour agreements, addressing challenges such as extreme weather and heat stress, which have become more prevalent due to climate change. The paper concludes by advocating for a just green transition, highlighting the need for stronger green social dialogue to ensure a balance between environmental policies and the protection of workers' safety and health in the green construction sector."

This work is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

"Weather-related heat exposure has become a sanitary concern given the wide repercussions it has for health. Both physiological and epidemiological research show that the impact of heat on human health goes far beyond acute heat conditions such as potentially fatal heat strokes. Heat exacerbates the problems associated with a wide variety of cardiovascular, respiratory and other acute illnesses and reproductive health. During heatwaves there is an increase in injury-related mortality in comparison with that experienced in communities' usual climates; a part of this is occupationally-related.

Such events add risks in particular to working people, especially when these are topped by pre-existing occupational heat stress factors, as the use of personal protective equipment, which can hinder the dissipation of body heat, exertion or other occupational hazards. As climate change is multiplying the number of hot days and their intensity, and adding to the period of summer, a greater variety of occupations are becoming potentially exposed to heat. Some jobs have become exposed as a result of the ‘non stop' economy and the contemporary management of working time. We argue here that weather-related heat stress should be considered an escalating occupational hazard that deserves full societal recognition in order to be considered as an emerging occupational risk requiring public action."

"La canicule de l'été 2003 a soulevé de nombreuses questions sur les conséquences sanitaires du travail en ambiance chaude sur la santé et sur leur prévention. Durant cette période, la contrainte thermique imposée par cette situation climatique s'est posée clairement et de nombreuses questions sont parvenues à l'INRS. Un dossier d'information a alors été constitué sur le site Internet de l'Institut. Cependant, il est apparu que ces informations devaient être développées et complétées pour faire face plus efficacement à un éventuel nouvel épisode de canicule.C'est le but du présent dossier, rédigé par un groupe de travail pluridisciplinaire."

"Welding may involve hazards to the male reproductive system, but previous studies of semen quality have produced inconsistent results. We studied the effects of welding on markers of semen quality in a Danish nationwide sample of 430 first-time pregnancy planners without earlier reproductive experience. Couples were recruited among members of the union of metal workers and three other trade unions and were followed from termination of birth control until pregnancy for a maximum of six menstrual cycles. The males provided semen samples in each cycle. Median sperm density for welders was 56 x 10(6)/mL (52.5 x 10(6)/mL and 50.0 x 10(6)/mL in two reference groups). No statistically significant differences attributable to welding were found in proportions of morphologically normal sperm, sperm motility assessed by computer-aided sperm analysis, or sex hormones (testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone). These negative findings may not apply to populations with high-level exposure to welding fume or to welders exposed to other putative hazards, e.g., heat."

"Cet article est une revue critique de la littérature (238 références) portant sur les effets non traumatiques du bruit. Il comporte cinq parties : 1. Bruit et santé : réponses physiologiques au bruit et mécanismes d'action, effets cardiovasculaires, effets hormonaux, effets sur le sommeil. Bruit et stress professionnel. 2. Bruit et sécurité. Effets sur le comportement général : bruit et accidents, communication dans le bruit, effets subjectifs du bruit. 3. Bruit et efficacité. Effets sur la performance : bruit et activités de surveillance, activités complexes à charge mentale élevée, activités cognitives. 4. Mécanismes d'action du bruit : distraction, activation, sélectivité de l'attention, stratégie, surcharge informationnelle, masquage. Remarques conclusives. 5. Bruit et contextes de nuisances combinées : vibrations, chaleur, vibrations et chaleur, chaleur et privation de sommeil. Multinuisances, charge de travail et stress."

"The impact of environment and occupation on male fertility is still under debate. We investigated whether certain occupations may be over- or under-represented among men attending our infertility clinic in relation to the entire population of the area. Diagnoses and semen parameters of 2054 infertile men from the district of Münster were analysed retrospectively. The patients were categorized into 29 occupational groups. The relative size of each group was compared with that of the entire population in the district of Münster. Farmers were over-represented compared with the general population. Farmers and painters/varnishers showed a significantly higher proportion of reduced sperm counts [odds ratios (OR): 2.13 and 2.17, 95% confidence intervals: 1.18-3.88 and 1.02-4.65] and severely reduced sperm concentrations compared with the entire group of infertile men; in addition, significantly more farmers presented with a history of maldescended testes than other occupational groups (OR: 2.76 and 2.84; CI: 1.12-6.75 and 1.27-6.34). Metal workers/welders formed significantly higher proportions of patients with reduced sperm motility (OR: 5.99; CI: 1.38-26.00). The relatively poor semen parameters of the painters/varnishers could be caused by exposure to toxins. This may also apply to the farmers (fertilizers, herbicides); however, the elevated rate of maldescended testes suggests an effect of exposure during prenatal development or a genetic cause. The findings for metal workers/welders may be because of heat or toxins at the workplace. The study demonstrates that certain occupations are preferentially associated with male infertility."