National Technical Reports Library

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Making Heat Stress Assessment Relevant Again.

PB2005103931

Publication Date	2003
Personal Author	Bernard, T. E.; Ashley, C. D.; Schwartz, S. W.; Caravello, V.
Page Count	48
Abstract	Occupational heat stress occurs in hot work environments, during heavy work, while wearing protective clothing, or from any combination of these. The exposures may be routine for those in hot industries like metal and glass manufacturing to intermittent like emergency response. Workers frequently experience heat exhaustion and are at risk for exertional heat stroke. They are also more likely to make mistakes and suffer injuries. The usual method to assess heat stress is to report the environmental conditions in an index called wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT). An occupational exposure limit can be set as an upper limit on WBGT, where the limit is modified for different work demands. The limit assumes continuous exposures over the day. This research addressed two shortcomings of this approach. First, the occupational exposure limits were developed with work clothes in mind. This means that non-woven protective clothing is not accounted for; leaving it to the professional judgment of the health professional. Second, many heat stress exposures are not continuous and an open question is how long should a person work above the occupational exposure limit. A third aim of the research was to examine the resistance of the clothing to cooling by the evaporation of sweat.
Keywords	Heat stress Clothing Assessment Environments Hyperpyrexia Heat exhaustion Tolerances(Physiology) Body temperature Evaporation Occupational safety and health Coveralls Occupational exposure Methodology Test methods WBGT(Wet bulb globe temperature)
Source Agency	National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Corporate Authors	University of South Florida, Tampa. Coll. of Public Health.; National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Atlanta, GA.
Supplemental Notes	Sponsored by National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Atlanta, GA.
Document Type	Technical Report
NTIS Issue Number	200512

Making Heat Stress Assessment Relevant Again.

Making Heat Stress Assessment Relevant Again.
PB2005103931

Publication Date	2003
Personal Author	Bernard, T. E.; Ashley, C. D.; Schwartz, S. W.; Caravello, V.
Page Count	48
Abstract	Occupational heat stress occurs in hot work environments, during heavy work, while wearing protective clothing, or from any combination of these. The exposures may be routine for those in hot industries like metal and glass manufacturing to intermittent like emergency response. Workers frequently experience heat exhaustion and are at risk for exertional heat stroke. They are also more likely to make mistakes and suffer injuries. The usual method to assess heat stress is to report the environmental conditions in an index called wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT). An occupational exposure limit can be set as an upper limit on WBGT, where the limit is modified for different work demands. The limit assumes continuous exposures over the day. This research addressed two shortcomings of this approach. First, the occupational exposure limits were developed with work clothes in mind. This means that non-woven protective clothing is not accounted for; leaving it to the professional judgment of the health professional. Second, many heat stress exposures are not continuous and an open question is how long should a person work above the occupational exposure limit. A third aim of the research was to examine the resistance of the clothing to cooling by the evaporation of sweat.
Keywords	Heat stress Clothing Assessment Environments Hyperpyrexia Heat exhaustion Tolerances(Physiology) Body temperature Evaporation Occupational safety and health Coveralls Occupational exposure Methodology Test methods WBGT(Wet bulb globe temperature)
Source Agency	National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Corporate Authors	University of South Florida, Tampa. Coll. of Public Health.; National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Atlanta, GA.
Supplemental Notes	Sponsored by National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Atlanta, GA.
Document Type	Technical Report
NTIS Issue Number	200512