University of Adelaide research to help authorities get the heatwave message across

University of Adelaide research shows most South Australians do not appreciate how serious heatwave risks can be and fail to respond to public warnings because they think they know it all.

• Start of autumn expected to be hottest in at least a decade

Heatwaves increase the risk of work-related injuries and illnesses by up to 810 per cent and cause more deaths overall than any other natural hazard because people ignore health and safety advice.

As the state endures its third heatwave of 2019, University of Adelaide research reveals most South Australians do not understand how serious heatwave risks can be and fail to respond to public warnings.

Lead author Dr Scott Hanson-Easey says the Australian-first research will help guide state emergency services and other government agencies to more effectively tailor messages.

“Often people didn't see the risk as relating to their own safety, it was almost always someone else’s safety,” he said.

“They made sense of the heatwave risk communication in terms of their own households, if they had what they perceived as vulnerable family members, such as older people or young kids.”

Most felt the risk could be controlled by getting away from heat and turning on the air conditioner, but not everyone has airconditioning or the money to run it.

And some units struggle in extreme heat.

Previous research, also at the University’s School of Public Health, has shown workers are at greater risk of injury as the temperature rises.

SafeWork SA data on workers’ compensation claims for the 10 years from 2003-13 was compared to Bureau of Meteorology weather records.

In extreme heat, workers in the electricity, gas and water sector had a nine-fold increase in compensation claims.

The National Heat and Work Injury Workshop last October called for greater awareness of the hazard at all levels of management and broadly across the community.

The latest research involved a survey, public focus groups and interviews and a critical national TV-news analysis.

The State Government and the Commonwealth Department of Home Affairs funded the project under the Natural Disaster Resilience Program.

A statewide Code Red was declared yesterday to help more vulnerable people during this week’s extreme heat.

Minister for Human Services Michelle Lensink said extra services would be available to help homeless people cope.

“Homelessness agencies across South Australia will boost their services during the hot weather, including increasing outreach services, which will help people sleeping rough to keep cool and remain hydrated,” she said.

“I urge all South Australians this week to check on the community, particularly the vulnerable, including the elderly, people with disability or mental illness or who might be housebound.”