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Introduction <p>Rising global temperatures and extreme heat events have made occupational heat stress a major public health challenge, particularly among outdoor local workers and migrant workers who face prolonged exposure and inadequate protection. Despite their shared risks, the differential vulnerability patterns between these groups remain poorly characterized.</p> Objective <p>The objective was to compare Heat Vulnerability Indexes (HVIs) between outdoor local workers and migrant workers to identify distinct susceptibility patterns and inform targeted interventions.</p> Methods <p>A cross-sectional study was conducted in Tamil Nadu using an in-house, multidimensional Heat Vulnerability Index (HVI). The HVI incorporated socio-demographic, occupational, physiological, and environmental factors measured through field assessments, physiological monitoring, and structured questionnaires. HVI scores were derived using Factor Analysis of Mixed Data and categorized into four levels: low (&lt; -2), moderate (-2 to &lt; 0), high (0 to &lt; 1.5), and extreme (≥ 1.5) vulnerability.</p> Results <p>Over half of workers exceeded the Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) for safe work heat limits (Local workers: 56%; migrant: 54%). Migrant workers showed marked vulnerability with significantly higher HVI scores more falling into high and extreme categories. Migrant workers also experienced greater heat strain, including higher increases in core body temperature (&gt; 1&#xa0;°C: 21.6% vs. 9.8%) and dehydration (56.7% vs. 73.1%), with a 3.2 fold higher risk of dehydration, driven by intense workloads, inadequate hydration, and poor living conditions.</p> Conclusion <p>Migrant workers faced higher risk, whereas local workers experienced persistent, chronic exposure risks. The worker specific HVI enables differentiation of vulnerability patterns and provides an evidence base for designing targeted heat mitigation and occupational health policies.</p>

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A multidimensional occupational Heat Vulnerability Index for comparing heat risk between local and migrant outdoor workers

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月23日

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  • Sajeeth Kumar Sankar,
  • Tanya Isaac,
  • P. Vijayalakshmi,
  • S. Krishnan,
  • Somnath Panda,
  • Rekha Shanmugam,
  • Latha Perumal Kamalakkanan,
  • Vidhya Venugopal

摘要

Introduction

Rising global temperatures and extreme heat events have made occupational heat stress a major public health challenge, particularly among outdoor local workers and migrant workers who face prolonged exposure and inadequate protection. Despite their shared risks, the differential vulnerability patterns between these groups remain poorly characterized.

Objective

The objective was to compare Heat Vulnerability Indexes (HVIs) between outdoor local workers and migrant workers to identify distinct susceptibility patterns and inform targeted interventions.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Tamil Nadu using an in-house, multidimensional Heat Vulnerability Index (HVI). The HVI incorporated socio-demographic, occupational, physiological, and environmental factors measured through field assessments, physiological monitoring, and structured questionnaires. HVI scores were derived using Factor Analysis of Mixed Data and categorized into four levels: low (< -2), moderate (-2 to < 0), high (0 to < 1.5), and extreme (≥ 1.5) vulnerability.

Results

Over half of workers exceeded the Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) for safe work heat limits (Local workers: 56%; migrant: 54%). Migrant workers showed marked vulnerability with significantly higher HVI scores more falling into high and extreme categories. Migrant workers also experienced greater heat strain, including higher increases in core body temperature (> 1 °C: 21.6% vs. 9.8%) and dehydration (56.7% vs. 73.1%), with a 3.2 fold higher risk of dehydration, driven by intense workloads, inadequate hydration, and poor living conditions.

Conclusion

Migrant workers faced higher risk, whereas local workers experienced persistent, chronic exposure risks. The worker specific HVI enables differentiation of vulnerability patterns and provides an evidence base for designing targeted heat mitigation and occupational health policies.