Improving the climate safety of workers in Almeria-type greenhouses in Spain by predicting the periods when they are most likely to suffer thermal stress

The humidex and wind-chill indices were used to determine the periods in which labourers working in Almeria-type greenhouses in southeastern Spain are most likely to suffer conditions able to induce heat and cold stress. Over 500,000 pieces of data for wet and dry bulb temperatures and relative humidity, recorded over a period in excess of five years by a weather station located in an Almeria-type greenhouse containing a grass crop, were used in the calculation of these indices. The wind-chill index results showed cold stress never to be a problem, but the humidex index results showed that conditions under which heat stress could develop were common in the warmer months. A clock diagram was produced showing the hours when heat stress is likely to occur in each month of the year. This information could be used to improve the conditions of labourers working in this type of greenhouse; some ways of reducing their exposure to heat stress-inducing conditions are discussed. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd and The Erogonomics Society. All rights reserved.