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2- Occupational Health Department of Occupational Health, School of Health Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran , hamerezaee@razi.tums.ac.ir
3- Occupational Health Department of Occupational Health, School of Health Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
4- Occupational Health Department of Occupational Health, Jondi Shapoor University of Medical Science, Ahvaz, Iran
Introduction: Heat-related illnesses are major causes of morbidity in the world. Workers who are exposed to extreme heat are not be able to activate their compensatory mechanisms and their health will consequently be at risk. Heat stress due to its impact on work performance increases the likelihood of worker disease and injuries and it also affect productivity. During sugar beet harvest, farmers from about 8 am to 4 pm, are exposed to sunlight and excessive heat. Therefore, preventive measures are essential in order to protect the health of farmers and improve productivity. The aim of this project as to study the effectiveness of the rehydration to reduce heat stress and increasing productivity during sugar beet harvest, conducted in 2012.
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Material and Method: in this project, 20 farmers from sugar beet farmers were studied during summer season, from 8 am to 4 pm in West Azarbaijan- Boukan city where the average temperature and relative humidity were 29.85 0C and 41%, respectively during sugar beet harvest. Selection criteria were defined as working more than 50% of the day’s working schedule and to have worked for at least 10 days of the follow-up period. Individual characteristics and water consumption rate during the work shift and also Production output data by farmers were recorded at the end of the working day. Environmental parameters using a portable monitoring device was measured and recorded and finally, the collected data was used for analysis using spss software version 20.
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Results: WBGT-TWA index for four the period of the time from morning to afternoon obtained 27.39 0C, as it was greater than the allowable thresholds. Ten workers receive 6-7 L of liquid and harvest production was significantly increased among those who are better hydrated (P=0.005), from 5 to 7 tons of harvest sugar beet per any worker per day, against lower 5 tons for farmers without drinking enough water.
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Conclusion: Farmers productivity can be increased by applying rehydration measures during work.
Received: 2014/09/29 | Accepted: 2014/09/29 | Published: 2014/09/29
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