BACKGROUND Workers laboring in steel industries in tropical settings with high ambient temperatures are subjected to thermally stressful environments that can create well-known risks of heat-related illnesses and limit workers' productivity. METHODS A cross-sectional study undertaken in a steel industry in a city nicknamed "Steel City" in Southern India assessed thermal stress by wet bulb glo...

Objectives To derive an empirical model for the impact of aerobic fitness (maximal oxygen consumption; V̇O2max in mL∙kg−1∙min−1) on physical work capacity (PWC) heat. Design Prospective, repeated measures. Methods Total completed during 1 h treadmill walking at a fixed heart rate 130 b∙min−1 was assessed 19 young adult males across variety warm and hot climate types, characterised by wet-bulb gl...

BACKGROUND Workers in many industries are exposed to thermally stressful work environments. Protection of the health of workers without unnecessarily compromising productivity requires the adoption of a heat index that is both reliable and easy to use. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the Thermal Work Limit (TWL), in a controlled environment and under field conditions, against these criteria. METHODS...

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study is to evaluate the tire manufacturing work environments extensively and to identify workers' exposure to hazardous substances in various work processes. METHODS Personal air sampling was conducted to measure polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, carbon disulfide, 1,3-butadiene, styrene, methyl isobutyl ketone, methylcyclohexane, formaldehyde, sulfur dioxide, a...

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of exposure to metal dusts, fumes and high temperature levels among brass workers in comparison to a control group. STUDY DESIGN Analytical cross-sectional study. METHODOLOGY One hundred and fifty four brass workers were matched for age with 154 controls selected from the local population. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to determine the ...

The focus of this review is upon acute exposure to hot environments and the accompanying physiological changes. The target audience includes physiologists, physicians and occupational health and safety practitioners. Using the principles of thermodynamics, the avenues for human heat exchange are explored, leading to an evaluation of some methods used to assess thermally-stressful environments. ...

The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of heart rate variability (HRV) and urinary catecholamines (CA) as objective indices of heat stress effect. We examined physiological responses, subjective symptoms, HRV and urinary CA to evaluate the effect of heat exposure on the autonomic nervous system. Six healthy male students volunteered for this study. They were exposed on differen...

Over the period 1980-2009, there were 58 documented hyperthermia deaths of American-style football players in the United States. This study examines the geography, timing, and meteorological conditions present during the onset of hyperthermia, using the most complete dataset available. Deaths are concentrated in the eastern quadrant of the United States and are most common during August. Over h...

conclusions the results showed that the heat stress increased by increasing air velocity and humidity in both groups. the air velocity with high humidity can be considered as a positive factor in the occurrence of heat strain. therefore, the incidence of heat stress decreases with the increase of humidity and reduction of air velocity or with increase of air velocity and reduction of humidity i...