Extreme Heat and Occupational Health Risks.

Climate change poses a significant occupational health hazard. Rising temperatures and more frequent heat waves are expected to cause increasing heat-related morbidity and mortality for workers across the globe. Agricultural, construction, military, firefighting, mining, and manufacturing workers are at particularly high risk for heat-related illness (HRI). Various factors, including ambient temperatures, personal protective equipment, work arrangements, physical exertion, and work with heavy equipment may put workers at higher risk for HRI. While extreme heat will impact workers across the world, workers in low- and middle-income countries will be disproportionately affected. Tracking occupational HRI will be critical to informing prevention and mitigation strategies. Renewed investment in these strategies, including workplace heat prevention programs and regulatory standards for indoor and outdoor workers, will be needed. Additional research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions in order to successfully reduce the risk of HRI in the workplace.

Exposure and illness among workers filing for COVID-19 related workers' compensation -- California, 2020.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 exposure and COVID-19 infection among California workers' compensation claims in 2020 and examine risk factors for exposure. METHODS: Using a case-control approach, we combined machine learning techniques and job exposure matrices to assess associations between exposures and illness claims and clusters of claims within specific worksites over a 3-week period. RESULTS: Of the 117,125 COVID-19 claims, most were primarily among younger groups, of shorter tenure, and from healthcare occupations. Illness claims were among older groups with longer tenure. Jobs with very close physical proximity and high physical activity, along with transportation and warehousing industries, were associated with being part of a cluster of claims. CONCLUSIONS: The findings merit further study but indicate respiratory viral transmission and support efforts to systematically incorporate work-related variables into other California data sources.

Unmet Mental Health Needs Among California Workers Since the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify worker groups with high prevalence of unmet mental health needs to inform employer benefits programs and outreach to increase access to care. METHODS: We conducted a repeated cross-sectional study to understand unmet mental health needs among workers since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic using the California Health Interview Survey data from 2013 to 2021. RESULTS: In 2021, 23.4% (confidence interval: 22.4 to 24.4) reported unmet mental health needs, an absolute increase of 3.9% from 2019. Relative increases were highest among workers in the information industries (prevalence ratio: 1.89, confidence interval: 1.4 to 2.5) and older workers (prevalence ratio: 1.27, CI: 0.9 to 1.8). Increases in needing help were not met with comparable increases in seeking care. CONCLUSIONS: Unmet mental health needs increased for California workers during the pandemic. Employers should dedicate resources and implement strategies to increase access to care and promote worker well-being.