Agricultural workers are especially vulnerable to heat illness due to the nature of their work: outdoors, long hours, and at peak harvest times during the hottest months of the year.
The California Heat Illness Prevention Study (CHIPS) received a research paper award at the June 2017 International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health conference held in Logan, Utah.
A good heat illness prevention plan takes into account the need for more breaks, a cool place to rest, the availability of fluids, and the careful allotment of time for a worker to become fully adjusted or acclimatized to the heat.
Eddie and his co-workers have been working throughout the summer season on CA farms to better understand how to prevent heat illness associated with farm work. Data collected includes the internal temperature of participants as they work, how much water they drink, and on-site weather conditions.