From Our Readers. RE: Overview of Heat Stress Among Waste Abatement Workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Belard JL ; Stanevich, Ronald L.
• Description:
  The authors wish to thank Gerald Coles for his constructive comments. Solar load is indeed an important factor to consider in hot and sunny areas. In such locations, it makes a lot of sense to plan activities during periods of time when the solar load is minimal. As mentioned in our article, there is a need to know much more about the characteristics of the microenvironment inside the suit, and we could not agree more with Mr. Coles in that matter. To that effect, the data collected during his study on New South Wales fire brigades will be of obvious interest when they are available. Using an air line to help workers fight impending heat stress is not a new concept. As Mr. Coles points out, a vortex cooler is often needed to lower the temperature of the air to appropriate levels. However, the loud and high-pitched noise generated by this type of cooler might be a real nuisance for the worker. Chemical protective clothing is a vital need for workers performing tasks in hazardous settings, and when the action takes place in hot environments, heat stress becomes a major threat. The latest generation of suits can protect against most chemical or toxicological threats, whether they come from liquids, fumes, gases, dust, or other sources. The comments from Mr. Coles show that the scientific community still has a lot to learn before it can offer the working population a protective suit which will also protect them against heat stress. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Body Temperature Construction Industry Hazardous Substances Heat Stress Disorders Hot Temperature Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory System Safety Temperature Waste Management

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• Keywords:
  Body-temperature Breathing Breathing-zone Climatic-factors Construction-industry Hazardous-waste-cleanup Heat-acclimatization Heat-stress Personal-protective-equipment Physiological-stress Protective-clothing Respiratory-protective-equipment Self-contained-breathing-apparatus Temperature-effects Temperature-measurement Waste-disposal

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• ISSN:
  1047-322X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research ; DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  12
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20025820
• Citation:
  Appl Occup Environ Hyg 1997 Mar; 12(3):155
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1997
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:589bc24f799d75e0a93894f384c15dc3ecae9a6491174278a58c4f11774c43f23af6f43a3f93cfe9e6ad673eb057c6b52c2c0da2c5282aacd82dbc75d5b1da78
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/197036/cdc_197036_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 304.31 KB ]