Study Finds Farm, Construction Worker Injuries Increase With Heat

An Oregon State University study found an association with increasing temperatures and increased rates of injury claims that were more pronounced among workers in the agricultural and construction sectors. The study analyzed about 92,000 accepted claims and found that the injury incident ratio for all workers started increasing when the max heat index exceeds 75 degrees. For all workers included in the study, the incident ratio increases to 1.04 when the temperature climbs above 75 degrees, meaning the rate of injuries is about 4% higher than the baseline from lower temperatures. The incident...