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Evaluate heat-related illness risks, high-risk worker subgroups, and the effectiveness of protective interventions among construction workers under extreme ambient heat.

August 20, 2026Open Access

Occupational Heat Exposure and Heat-Related Illness in Construction Workers: Trajectories, Worker Subgroup Differences, and Workplace Intervention Effectiveness

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Evaluate heat-related illness risks, high-risk worker subgroups, and the effectiveness of protective interventions among construction workers under extreme ambient heat.
Conducted a 120-day summer surveillance audit (March–July 2024) tracking 486 construction workers across 12 work sites in South Asia.
Assessed environmental heat using wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT, observed range 24–46 °C; ambient range 28–50 °C) and tracked daily incidence of heat-related illness (HRI) across multiple job roles.
Daily HRI incidence increased exponentially with rising heat stress, with rates 30- to 50-fold higher at WBGT ≥36 °C compared to WBGT <28 °C.
Moderate-to-severe HRI was strongly predicted by WBGT ≥34 °C, heavy physical exertion, migrant status, limited acclimatisation, dehydration, chronic disease, and older age.
Structured work-rest cycles with shade and water provision, comprehensive heat-protection programmes, and supervisor training provided strong protective effects.

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Implication

Surveillance audit shows heat-related illness rises exponentially under high thermal stress in construction workers, highlighting the protective benefit of structured work-rest cycles.

Cite This Study

Sharma et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a86b5ff8a91293e6a1cd99b https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21989965

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Implication

Surveillance audit shows heat-related illness rises exponentially under high thermal stress in construction workers, highlighting the protective benefit of structured work-rest cycles.

Occupational Heat Exposure and Heat-Related Illness in Construction Workers: Trajectories, Worker Subgroup Differences, and Workplace Intervention Effectiveness

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Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

Occupational Heat Exposure and Heat-Related Illness in Construction Workers: Trajectories, Worker Subgroup Differences, and Workplace Intervention Effectiveness

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

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