Abstract
The impact that heat stress has to the construction field is an ever-evolving topic as its also impacted by the change in climate. The South African climate temperatures escalated dramatically in the previous years leading to heat stress warning from the weather services towards the construction working conditions. The working conditions associated with heat stress may work against the foremen or anyone that spends most of their times not protecting themselves against the fast-changing temperatures in the construction sites resulting in heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat syncope, heat cramps and heat rush. However, due to a low number of deaths on the construction site compared to the mining field, it has been taken not so much as a risk unless there is a heat wave warning. The aim of the research is to theoretically assess the impact that heat stress has to the construction field and the change in weather temperatures over the years. The study will contribute to the growing body of knowledge on heat stress and it impact in the construction industry.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Bouchama, A., Knochel, J.: Heat stroke. N. Engl. J. Med. 346(25), 1979 (2002)
Goetsch, D.: OSHA’s Constrcution Standards (29 CFR 1926) and related safety practices. In: Yarnell, D. (ed.) Construction Safety and Health, pp. 196–201. Prentice Hall, New Jersey (2003)
Department of Labour in South Africa: Amended Act-Occupational Health and Safety. Department of Labour in South Africa, Pretoria (1993)
Construction, L.: Heat stress on a construction site (2014). http://lewence.com.au/heat-stress-on-construction-sites/
The Department of Labour: Occupational Health and Safety - Construction Hygiene. The Department of Labour, Gauteng (2015)
Infrastructure Health and Safety Association. http://www.ihsa.ca.rtf/health_safety_manual/pdfs/health/Heat_Stress.pdf. Accessed 3 Mar 2017
Safety and Heat Stress. https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/injury-prevention-safety/workplace-hazards/dangers-in-your-workplace/heat-stress
Kjelistrom, T., Holmer, I., Lemke, B.: Heat, work and health: implications of climate change. Global Health Action 2, 2047 (2009)
Furter, E.: How to manage heat stress and prevent heat stroke (2016). http://sheqafrica.com/manage-heat-stress/:Sheqafrica
Gould, F., Joyce, N.: Construction safety and health. In: Krassow, E. (ed.) Construction Project Management, pp. 320–321. Pearson Education, New Jersey (2009)
Xiang, J., Peng, B.I., Pisaniello, D., Hansen, A.: Health impacts of the workplace heat exposure: an epidemiological review. Indus. Health 52, 91–101 (2014)
Method 123: Risk Management Plan. http://www.method123.com/risk-management-plan.php
M. I. P. Limited: AN9025-3. MTL, Perth (2002)
Department of Health and Human Services USA: Life Cycle Safety-What does it mean and why is it important? http://www.cdc.gov.niosh/topic/greenconstruction/pdfs/lifecyclesafety2.pdf
World Weather: Pretoria Weather. https://www.worldweatheronline.com/pretoria-weather/gauteng
South Africa Weather Service, 2015/2016. Annual Report, Erasmusrand: South Africa Weather Service (2016)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Seema, K., Aigbavboa, C. (2018). Assessment of Heat Stress Impacts on Construction Workers: A South African Exploratory Study. In: Goonetilleke, R., Karwowski, W. (eds) Advances in Physical Ergonomics and Human Factors. AHFE 2017. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 602. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60825-9_48
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60825-9_48
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-60824-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-60825-9
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)