Physiological responses to heat stress in rice transplanting workers in Northeast India and work-rest schedule recommendations.

This article focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of work-rest schedules for agricultural workers engaged in manual paddy transplantation in Northeast India under varying Wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) conditions. The study involved 14 male participants working at WBGT ranges of 27–28 °C, 29–30 °C, and 31–32 °C, measuring oral temperature and heart rate to determine safe work durations before rest was required. Findings indicate that as WBGT increases, recommended continuous work periods decrease—from 65 minutes at 27–28 °C to 35 minutes at 31–32 °C—while rest periods increase correspondingly to allow physiological recovery. The study recommends customized work-rest cycles based on WBGT to mitigate heat stress, emphasizing regular monitoring of oral temperature and heart rate to prevent heat-related illnesses among agricultural workers in hot, humid environments.