EXTREME HEAT EVENTS: PERCEIVED THERMAL RESPONSE OF INDOOR AND OUTDOOR WORKERS

Background: With the changing climate in the tropical regions, millions of people in indoor and outdoor occupational situations are vulnerable to frequent heat episodes with health implications. Methodology: The study refers to behavioral responses of the men folks (N=999) to hot environment in indoor (iron work N=287, ceramics and pottery N=137, power loom N=143, pulp and paper mill N=31) and outdoor (stone quarry N=401) working conditions. Result: Wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) values in power loom was highest (35.2±1.1 0 C), followed by other respective occupations. The behavioral responses of workers differed significantly (p<0.0001) between the indoor and outdoor working conditions. The subscales of four principal components (PC-1 to PC-4), explained total cumulative variance of 44% in case of iron works, 47% in case of ceramic and pottery work and ~49% in powerloom and stone quarry works. Conclusion: The stone quarry workers faced greater risk, as compared to the workers in indoor work. Perceived response might provide indication of risk mitigation to combat heat-related emergencies.