Heat Stress and Heat Strain Score Index Assessment in the Pastry Workers of Isfahan city

Pastry occupation is one of occupations to exposure with heat and significant number of workers works at it. This study is aimed to heat stress and heat strain score index assessment in the pastry workers of Isfahan.

This cross sectional and descriptive study was conducted on 360 pastry workers between 10 and 14 hours in the summer of 2012. WBGT index was used for determining heat stress, HSSI index was used for measuring the value of understood heat strain by workers and digital thermometer was used for measuring oral temperature. More over the area of the workshops, cookery technologies and ventilation systems were studied.

The mean WBGT index was 22.97. it was sub allowable occupational exposure (31 C). Based on HSSI index 77.5 % of studied people didn’t have heat strain, 19.9 % of people had presumably heat strain and 5.6% of people had heat strain.

Based on the study results, the low percent of workers were in exposure to heat strain hazards. It can reduce by improving cookery technology, fixing suitable ventilation and other ways for controlling heat.