Industrial workwear for hot workplace environments: thermal management attributes

Personal protective clothing (PPC) is critical for worker safety and wellbeing from both protection and thermal management perspectives, particularly as PPC typically covers more than 90% of the body. Research of PPC in low-risk categories such as mining, oil, gas, and construction and their thermal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of biometeorology 2021-10, Vol.65 (10), p.1751-1765
Main Authors: Watson, C., Troynikov, O., Kuklane, K., Nawaz, N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Physiology
Biological and Medical Physics
Biometeorology
Biophysics
Body water
Compliance
Design
Earth and Environmental Science
Energy
Environment
Environmental Health
Fire protection
Garments
Heat
Hot Temperature
Humidity
Manikins
Metabolism
Meteorology
Occupational safety
Original Paper
Plant Physiology
Protective Clothing
Risk
Sweating
Thermal environments
Thermal management
Water loss
Work environment
Workers
Workplace
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Summary:Personal protective clothing (PPC) is critical for worker safety and wellbeing from both protection and thermal management perspectives, particularly as PPC typically covers more than 90% of the body. Research of PPC in low-risk categories such as mining, oil, gas, and construction and their thermal management attributes is limited, although these industries represent a significant proportion of the industrial workforce, work across a broad range of major industries, and frequently work in hot and/or humid thermal environments. This study evaluated and characterized the thermal management attributes of a selection of commercial low-level risk PPC ensembles currently used around the world as well as a civilian/corporate wear ensemble, using a sweating thermal manikin. The results demonstrate that there are substantially poorer thermal attributes for the PPC ensembles. Predicted Heat Strain Index (PHS) results for hot conditions reveal significantly lower duration limited exposure (DLE) and considerably greater body water loss for the wearers of PPC. Opportunities to substantially reduce PPC material mass and improve construction for these low-level risk categories in order to enhance thermal management performance are identified. Relationships between the thermal attributes of PPC and civilian clothing, and their garment construction, fit, and material characteristics are identified, providing new and important knowledge for current performance and direction for development of new improved PPC. This study provides researchers, developers, and garment designers with valuable insights for future improvement of PPC to create improved PPC for industrial workwear worn in hot environments.
ISSN:0020-7128
1432-1254
DOI:10.1007/s00484-021-02130-z