Stakeholder Risk Perception About Heat: An Interview-Based Study Among Outdoor Workers in South India

Abstract

Heat waves in Southeast Asia are expected to intensify in the upcoming decades thereby raising the vulnerability of at-risk workers to heat-related illnesses (HRIs). Identifying and strengthening workers' self-protection knowledge is crucial to effective heat adaptation and management. The study aimed to investigate outdoor workers' perceptions of heat-related risks, changes in protective behavior during hotter seasons, knowledge and awareness of regional heat action plans (HAPs), and protection measures. It aimed to find effective means of communication and strategies for improving heat protection among these workers. We used a validated and structured mixed-method survey questionnaire and one-on-one interviews to assess 140 outdoor workers' heat-related risk perceptions, protective behavior changes during hot seasons, and knowledge of regional HAPs protective measures in April–July 2022. The estimated worker's seasonal average WBGT exposure using meteorological data was 34.4°C ± 0.02°C, which exceeded acceptable limits. Heat was a big concern for outdoor workers, the study revealed. Workers believed that knowing about heat hazards could help reduce individual risks. Many workers were aware of the heat's health risks but felt the nature of their jobs prevented them from taking precautions. Some workers assumed that business owners' concerns about productivity and cooling costs would prevent government measures to safeguard at-risk employees from succeeding. Workers responded more positively to business owners' HAP communications. Workers are more likely to use practical, simple sector-based warning HAPs. We urgently need management policy reforms to protect millions of workers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and the implementation of cost-effective, practical, and sustainable heat protection infrastructure and behavioral change solutions through trusted channels is crucial.