Occupational heat-related illness in Washington State: A descriptive study of day of illness and prior day ambient temperatures among cases and clusters, 2006-2021

Abstract

Background: Insufficient heat acclimatization is a risk factor for heat-related illness (HRI) morbidity, particularly during periods of sudden temperature increase. We sought to characterize heat exposure on days before, and days of, occupational HRIs.

Methods: A total of 1241 Washington State workers' compensation State Fund HRI claims from 2006 to 2021 were linked with modeled parameter-elevation regressions on independent slopes model (PRISM) meteorological data. We determined location-specific maximum temperatures (T_max,PRISM ) on the day of illness (DOI) and prior days, and whether the T_max,PRISM was ≥10.0°F (~5.6°C) higher than the average of past 5 days ("sudden increase") for each HRI claim. Claims occurring on days with ≥10 HRI claims ("clusters") were compared with "non-cluster" claims using t tests and χ² tests.

Results: Seventy-six percent of analyzed HRI claims occurred on days with a T_max,PRISM ≥ 80°F. Claims occurring on "cluster" days, compared to "non-cluster" days, had both a significantly higher mean DOI T_max,PRISM (99.3°F vs. 85.8°F [37.4°C vs. 29.9°C], t(148) = -18, p < 0.001) and a higher proportion of "sudden increase" claims (80.2% vs. 24.3%, χ² [1] = 132.9, p < 0.001). Compared to "cluster" days, HRI claims occurring during the 2021 Pacific Northwest "heat dome" had a similar increased trajectory of mean T_max,PRISM on the days before the DOI, but with higher mean T_max,PRISM. CONCLUSIONS: Occupational HRI risk assessments should consider both current temperatures and changes in temperatures relative to prior days. Heat prevention programs should include provisions to address acclimatization and, when increases in temperature occur too quickly to allow for sufficient acclimatization, additional precautions.

Keywords: heat stress; heat wave; heat-related illness; illness cluster; workers' compensation.