Uma revisão sobre o risco ocupacional relacionado ao estresse térmico

Abstract

With the existence of specific occupational hazards, worker health and safety issues become a prominent element in the management of the business, being a competitive differential for the industries. Among the many occupational hazards that exist, thermal stress was the object of this study, since such strictness can interfere with the production yield and expose the worker to the risk of accidents, occupational diseases and death. In order to understand how the thermal factor influences several areas of production - industrial and intellectual -, studies of several Brazilian researchers on the subject, as well as their results, were presented. It was observed that, with the advancement of research, many studies were carried out not only in acclimatized chambers, but also in real situations of daily life, with people performing their routine activities. Through such research, it was possible to observe that man, being a homoeothermic animal, must maintain its constant temperature, suffering direct influence of the temperature of the environment in which it is. The risk of serious heat illness can be reduced by various measures to combat them, such as acclimatization to heat, control of exposure to thermal stress and maintenance of hydration. Before any index or norm, it is argued that all organizations should view thermal stress as a real occupational hazard, seeking the conditions that satisfy the man with respect to their thermal sensations, bringing greater disposition to work and consequent quality of life.