D2S8 - Thermal Environment

Thermal
Environment
Day 5 Section 13
Thermal Environment
● In order to function effectively we need to maintain our bodies at a
constant temperature within 36.5 - 37.5 oC
● Temperature regulation centres in our brain are sensitive to small
changes of blood temperature and also get feed back from
sensory nerves at the skin
● Our brains then use this information to adjust our bodies
responses to heat
Heat
Physiological responses to heat
• Blood vessels in skin expand
• Pulse rate increases
• Increases blood to the surface of the body
• Sweating also increases heat loss due to latent heat of evaporation
• In very hot conditions, sweating offers greatest potential for regulating

body temperature
Heat
Possible adverse effects of exposure to excessive heat include;

• fatigue
• behavioural modification
• reduced concentration
• heat cramps due to salt loss
• fainting
• heat exhaustion
• heat stroke
Cold
Physiological responses to cold

• Blood vessels in skin contract
• Heat flow to the body surface is reduced
• Heat production is increased by physical activity and shivering.
• Evidence regarding physiological acclimatisation to cold is conflicting
Cold
Possible adverse effects to excessive cold include;
• lassitude/listlessness
• chilblains
• frost bite
• hypothermia
Psychological Responses to the Thermal
Environment
● People will often modify the way they work depending on the thermal environment
● Modify their local work environment
○ moving to a more comfortable area,
○ changing clothes,
○ increasing or decreasing ventilation
● Performance and efficiency can also be affected by adverse thermal conditions
Heat Transfer from the Body
S=M+C+R–E
Where
M = Rate of metabolic heat production
C = Convective heat loss or gain
R = Radiant heat loss or gain
E = Evaporative heat loss
S = Heat gained or lost by the body
Two more parameters, W (external work done) and K (conduction) are usually
small and not considered so the simplified form is often used
Factors Influencing Heat Balance
1 Work rate (i.e. activity or metabolic
rate)
Person
2 Clothing
3 Air temperature
4 Radiant temperature
Environment
5 Air Velocity
6 Humidity (moisture) conditions

Evaluating the
Thermal
Environment
Metabolic Rate
Activity Metabolic Rate
(W/m2 body surface)
Sleeping 43
Resting 47
Sitting 60
Standing 70
Slow Walk (2.5 kph) 107
Walking (5 kph) 154
Running ( 16 kph) 600
Sprinting (25 kph) 2370
Personal Insulation
Clothing Clo Value
Naked 0
Shorts 0.1
Light summer clothes 0.5
Typical indoor clothes 1.0
Heavy suit 1.5
Polar clothing 3-4
Practical maximum 5
Thermal Environment
● Duration of exposure – use work/rest tables to reduce risk of
prolonged exposure to heat
● Dry bulb temperature – dry sensor shielded from heat
○ Simple thermometer - inexpensive, fragile, slow to
respond
○ Electrical thermometer – accurate, convenient
● Globe temperature – black copper globe with a simple thermometer
in centre
Thermal Environment
● Air velocity – heat removed from the body by convection when air current is
passed over unless the air temperature is higher than the temperature of the
skin.
○ Also affects evaporation of moisture from skin
○ Vane anemometer - propeller type, directional, electrical or mechanical
○ Resistance anemometer
○ Kata thermometer
○ Tracer smoke – visualise air flow and measuring low air velocities
Thermal Environment
● Moisture Content
○ Convection and evaporation play a major role in dissipating body heat
and thus the temperature and moisture content of the air are important
parameters
○ Natural wet bulb – simple thermometer with bulb covered and dipped in
distilled water
● Personal monitoring – heart rate and core temperature. If less than 30

minutes of work allowed or high levels of impervious PPE –
undertake personal monitoring
Heat Stress Indices
Various workers have devised indices to combine some of them into a single
figure to which a standard could be applied. Some of these include:
○ Wet Bulb Globe Temperature: A simple index calculated after measuring
the dry bulb, natural wet bulb and globe temperatures
○ HSI (Heat Stress Index): Calculated using a range of environmental
measurements as well as work rate
○ P4SR (Predicted Four Hour Sweat Rate): Calculated from charts and
used to assess physiological limits
Heat Stress Indices
● Thermal Work Limit (TWL): uses five environmental parameters plus
clothing factors to arrive at a prediction of a safe maximum continuously
sustainable metabolic rate (Wm-2) for the conditions. Must be euhydrated and
acclimatised
● Predicted Heat Strain: adopted in ISO 7933. It describes a method for
calculating the heat balance as well as the required sweat rate that the human
body should produce to maintain this balnce in equilibrium.
Thermal Comfort
● Very subjective and people will feel differently about what is the ‘ideal’
thermal environment
● Much less extreme conditions than thermal stress
● Indices have also been generated in an attempt to measure thermal
comfort
Controlling the Thermal Environment
Controls
Hot environments Cold Environment
• Screen radiant heat • Reduce exposure to wind chill – wind barrier
• Increase air movement or refuge
• Modify behavioural patterns • Covering metal handles
• Work/rest regimes • Local heating
• Provide air-conditioned refuges • Use mechanical aids so sweat less
• Increase distance from local 'hot spots' • Workplace designed for use with gloves
• Air cooling • Workplace designed so no prolonged sitting
or standing
• Protective clothing
• Provide readily accessible and palatable
drinking water
• Allow time for employees to acclimatise after
time-off
High Radiant Components
• Surface temperatures surrounding a worker are
hotter than the ambient air
○ Boiler rooms, engine and compressor
house, power generating stations, inside
military vehicles (tanks and aircraft)
• Increase air velocity
• Air conditioning/chillers
• Cooled clothing
• Shielding in smelting, furnace, steel making

ad foundry where surfaces are extremely high
High Humidity Conditions
● Laundries, mine, textile and

other manufacturing processes,
wet bulb and dry bulb are both
high (indicating high humidity)
○ Supply dehumidified air,
projected into the area,
increasing air velocity,
improving comfort and
reducing stress
Hot Dry Conditions
● Deep dry mines, inside buildings (in

tropics), and manufacturing where heat
is emitted from plant
○ Increase air velocity
○ Cooled air
Thank you
Any Questions?

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Thermal

• Blood vessels in skin expand

• Pulse rate increases

• Increases blood to the surface of the body

• Sweating also increases heat loss due to latent heat of evaporation

• In very hot conditions, sweating offers greatest potential for regulating

Possible adverse effects of exposure to excessive heat include;

Physiological responses to cold

Possible adverse effects to excessive cold include;

6 Humidity (moisture) conditions

● Personal monitoring – heart rate and core temperature. If less than 30

• Increase air velocity

• Shielding in smelting, furnace, steel making

● Laundries, mine, textile and

● Deep dry mines, inside buildings (in

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