RISK OF HEAT-RELATED INJURY TO DISASTER RELIEF WORKERS IN A SLOW-ONSET FLOOD DISASTER

Heat-related injury or illness (HRI) occurs when the body can no longe r maintain a healthy core temperature. During the 1993 Midwest floods, several risk factors for HRI were present for workers involved in san dbagging activities. Medical claims filed by Illinois National Guard t roops were used to identify injuries. HRI was the most frequently repo rted injury diagnosis, at 19.3% (23 of 119 injuries). HRI represented 16.0% of injuries to men and 41.7% of injuries to women. HRI can be in fluenced by high ambient temperatures, high humidity, and prolonged ex ertion, all of which were present in Illinois. Our results indicate th at HRI is a potential problem in disaster relief situations. Further i nvestigation using more detailed data is needed to confirm these findi ngs. Implementation of a few simple preventive measures may decrease t he impact of this problem.