Determinants of heat-related injuries in Australian workplaces: Perceptions of health and safety professionals.

Introduction: Hot workplace environments can lead to adverse health effects and contribute to a range of injuries. However, there is limited contextual understanding of heat-related injury occurrence. Gaining the perspectives of occupational health and safety professionals (HSPs) may elucidate the issue and inform targeted interventions.

Using a Qualitative Phenomenological Approach to Inform the Etiology and Prevention of Occupational Heat-Related Injuries in Australia.

Epidemiological evidence has shown an association between exposure to high temperatures and occupational injuries, an issue gaining importance with environmental change. The aim of this study was to better understand contributing risk factors and preventive actions based on personal experiences. Interviews were conducted with 21 workers from five Australian states using a critical phenomenological approach to capture the lived experiences of participants, whilst exploring contextual factors that surround these experiences.

Geographical variation in risk of work-related injuries and illnesses associated with ambient temperatures: A multi-city case-crossover study in Australia, 2005-2016.

Background: The thermal working environment can have direct and in-direct effects on health and safety. Ambient temperatures have been associated with an increased risk of occupational injuries but it is unknown how the relationship can vary by weather, location and climate.

Objectives: To examine the relationship between ambient temperatures and work-related injury and illness compensation claims in three Australian cities: Melbourne and Perth (temperate climate) and Brisbane (subtropical climate) in order to determine how hot and cold weather influences the risk of occupational injury in Australia.

Characterising the impact of heatwaves on work-related injuries and illnesses in three Australian cities using a standard heatwave definition- Excess Heat Factor (EHF).

Background And Aims: Heatwaves have potential health and safety implications for many workers, and heatwaves are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity with climate change. There is currently a lack of comparative evidence for the effects of heatwaves on workers' health and safety in different climates (sub-tropical and temperate). This study examined the relationship between heatwave severity (as defined by the Excess Heat Factor) and workers' compensation claims, to define impacts and identify workers at higher risk.

The effects of ambient temperatures on the risk of work-related injuries and illnesses: Evidence from Adelaide, Australia 2003-2013.

Background: The thermal environment can directly affect workers' occupational health and safety, and act as a contributing factor to injury or illness. However, the literature addressing risks posed by varying temperatures on work-related injuries and illnesses is limited.

Objectives: To examine the occupational injury and illness risk profiles for hot and cold conditions.

Heat Health Messages: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Preventative Messages Tool in the Older Population of South Australia.

This study explores the efficacy of providing targeted information to older individuals to prevent adverse health outcomes during extreme heat. Participants ≥65 years of age ( = 637) were recruited from previous population-based studies and randomized into intervention and control groups. The intervention group received evidence-based information leaflets and summarised "Beat the Heat" tips.

The link between noise perception and quality of life in South Australia.

Environmental noise is a significant risk factor for a range of short- and long-term adverse health outcomes such as annoyance, cognitive development impairment, sleep disturbance, cardiovascular effects, and psychiatric problems. The aim of this study was to gather standardized quality of life (QOL) data hitherto rarely correlated with noise annoyance by source category. To provide an evidence-base for environmental noise policy development, a representative state-based survey was undertaken in South Australia (SA).

Impact of two recent extreme heat episodes on morbidity and mortality in Adelaide, South Australia: a case-series analysis.

Background: Extreme heatwaves occurred in Adelaide, South Australia, in the summers of 2008 and 2009. Both heatwaves were unique in terms of their duration (15 days and 13 days respectively), and the 2009 heatwave was also remarkable in its intensity with a maximum temperature reaching 45.7 °C.

The effect of heat waves on hospital admissions for renal disease in a temperate city of Australia.

Background: A rarely investigated consequence of heat exposure is renal dysfunction resulting from dehydration and hyperthermia. Our study aims to quantify the relationship between exposure to extreme high temperatures and renal morbidity in South Australia.

Methods: Poisson regression accounting for over dispersion, seasonality and long-term trend was used to estimate the effect of heat waves on hospital admissions for renal disease, acute renal failure and renal dialysis over a 12-year period.