Citation

Gao H, Deaton AS, Barker R, Fang X, Watson K. Int. J. Occup. Safety Ergonomics 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Centralny Instytut Ochrony Pracy - Państwowy Instytut Badawczy, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10803548.2022.2058746

PMID

35341451

Abstract

A validated physiological manikin method was used to qualify environmentally dependent correlations between firefighter turnout THL (total heat loss) and R(ef) (intrinsic evaporative resistance) heat strain indexes and core temperature rise in stressful work conducted in mild (25 °C, 65% RH) and in hot (35 °C, 40% RH; 40 °C, 28% RH) conditions. Five turnout suit constructions representing a wide range of breathability were selected. The observed correlations between measured material heat loss and core temperature showed that the THL heat strain index accurately forecast thermal burden in mild environments (< 25 °C); while the R(ef) index provided accurate prediction in hot environments (> 35 °C). They showed that the THL index did not predict heat strain in hot work environments. The findings of this study support incorporating both the R(ef) and THL heat strain indexes as dual metrics for characterizing the heat strain performance of turnout clothing fabrics.

Language: en

Keywords

evaporative resistance; firefighter heat stress; physiological manikin; protective clothing; total heat loss