Poultry Slaughterhouse Workers: Finger Temperatures and Cold Sensation in the Hands

Many employees work in Brazilian slaughterhouses and are exposed to several ergonomic risks; one of them is cold temperatures. This cross-sectional study aimed to analyze the finger temperatures of poultry slaughterhouse workers, and its associations with sociodemographic, work and cold sensory variables. The research included 142 workers from two poultry slaughterhouses that operated in a cold environment (10–12 °C). The data were obtained through interviews and thermographic images (palm and dorsum of the hands). For this, a Flir® T450SC infrared camera and the Flir® Tools software were utilized. Binary logistic regression models were employed to assess the association between finger temperatures (≤15 °C) and the independent variables. Half of the workers wore three overlapping gloves, despite this, most workers presented at least one finger with a mean temperature ≤ 15 °C (76%), ≤ 24 °C (98%) and felt cold in their hands (75%). There was an association between the finger temperatures ≤ 15 °C and feeling cold in the hands, where most workers with fingers ≤ 15 °C experienced a cold sensation in the hands (84%). The binary logistic revealed that the chance of a slaughterhouse worker feeling cold in the hands as well as presenting finger temperatures ≤ 15 °C was three times greater than a worker who did not feel cold in their hands (OR = 3.54). Therefore, the health and safety team must monitor the workers’ finger temperatures inserted in cold environments. In addition, efficient gloves for thermal protection should be developed and offered to these workers.