Naslov
Heat and outdoor workers. Was our education successful?

Autori
Bradvica, Karmen ; Šarić, Zlatko ; Bubaš, Marija

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
ICOH Scientific Committees Joint-meeting 'Education and Training in Occupational Health - emerging trends and unmet needs', Book of Abstracts / Van Dijk, Frank ; Bubaš, Marija - Zagreb : Hrvatski zavod za zaštitu zdravlja i sigurnost na radu, International Commission on Occupational Health - Scienific Committee on Education and Training in Occupational Health, 2017, 57-57

Skup
ICOH Scientific Committees Joint-meeting 'Education and Training in Occupational Health - emerging trends and unmet needs'

Mjesto i datum
Zagreb, Hrvatska, 26.10.2017. - 28.10.2017

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Poster

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
heat ; outdoor workers ; education

Sažetak
Keywords: educational outcomes, occupational heat exposure, outdoor workers Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate educational outcomes of a seminar about occupational heat exposure in outdoor workers that was held by Croatian Institute for Health Protection and Safety at Work (CIHPSW) for the past 5 years. Occupational heat exposure in outdoor workers can lead to various health disorders, like dehydration, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, sunstroke, sunburns and skin cancer. Considering the fact that some of the aforementioned health conditions can be life threatening and being aware that occupational exposure in outdoor workers isn´t regulated by the national legislation, in 2012 CIHPSW published a guideline and organised a proper education for the safety engineers, workers, employers, trade union representatives and occupational medicine specialists. Each seminar was held by a safety engineer and a doctor, consisting of lectures and a workshop with special emphasis on measures of occupational safety. Methods: Since 2012, 29 seminars were held with a total number of 537 participants. 9 of the participants attended the seminar twice and 1 participant attended three times. After each seminar participants were asked to fulfil a survey consisting of several questions with scale ranging from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) and the opportunity to give their personal comment about the education. In 2017 we created a new online survey and sent it to the participants so we could estimate if they had some long-term benefit from our education. The survey had dichotomous questions (Yes/No) and a space for individual comment. In both of the survey, we analysed answers given to the questions referring to benefits in the future work. Participants´ personal comments were also analysed.Results: A total of 485 participants completed a survey given directly after the seminar. In our focus was question referring to benefits in the future work (M=4, 41, SD=0.832). New online survey also resulted in high score. More than 90% of the participants were encouraged to inform workers about occupational risks, heat stress symptoms, prevention methods and first aid for the possible health conditions. Over 75% of the participants confirm they have suggested their employers some of the measures recommended on the seminar and approx. the same percentage points out that measures have been implemented in their company after the seminar.Discussion: Results showed that participants have very good opinion on our seminar. After the education, they were encouraged to inform workers and employers. They also confirmed that some measures recommended on the seminar have been implemented in their company afterwards. Results indicated that participants are more likely to inform workers than the employers. Reasons for such results can be found in participants’ feeling they can’t have an effect on employers’ actions and for that reason a number of them give up in the beginning. Individual comments accentuate the previously mentioned need for improvement in national legislation. Conclusion: Since occupational exposure in outdoor workers isn´t regulated by the national legislation, we consider our education is an important tool which provides useful information to all groups involved in the work process and, at the same time, encourages to action. Our participants went back to their workplaces and improved them, or at least they tried. That is why we are going to answer the title question with: It was.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Javno zdravstvo i zdravstvena zaštita

POVEZANOST RADA