ผลกระทบของการเปลี่ยนแปลงสภาพภูมิอากาศและความร้อนที่มีต่อเกษตรกรและพนักงานในโรงงานอุตสาหกรรมในประเทศไทย

Abstract

Abstract

This research aimed to explore situation and effects of climate change and heat exposure workers’ health and productivity in Thailand. This cross-sectional descriptive and analytic study was performed on 46 agricultural workers and 21 industrial workers in Pathum Thani, Kanchanaburi, and Samut Prakan provinces. Environmental parameters including WBGT (wet bulb globe temperature), dry temperature, globe temperature, natural wet bulb temperature, relative humidity, and heat index (HI) were measured over ten consecutive days in winter and summer. In this study, participants were interviewed about work information, heat exposure at work, health impacts of heat, impact on productivity, and preventing heat stress at work and were then recorded length of breaks, cooling actions, water intake, symptoms of heat-related illnesses, production output, heart rate, and body temperature during work period. The results demonstrate that WBGT index according to different study sites was 30.3, 26.7, and 24.5 °C for working in iron factory, rice farm, and sugarcane farm, respectively. The mean heat index at work of industrial workers in iron factory, agricultural workers in rice farm, and sugarcane farm were 42.6, 33.6, and 29.7 °C, respectively. At a heat index above 40.5 °C considers the industrial workers' risk is danger or affects human health. Interestingly, the average loss productivity of agricultural workers in rice farm was 9.68 % in winter compared with summer. For future research, we suggest that paying more attention to the occupational health issues in different workplace settings and policies to reduce heat indexes in worker should be developed. 

Keywords: climate change; heat exposure; heat index; heat stress