Critical Heat Stress Evaluation of Chemical Protective Clothing Ensembles with a Full-Face Negative Pressure Respirator

Details

• Personal Author:
  Ashley CD ; Bernard, Thomas E. ; Fletcher OM ; Salihu HM
• Description:
  Objective: Protective clothing ensembles restrict heat loss. The purpose of this study was to determine if there are differences in heat stress (critical wet bulb globe temperature - WBGTcrit) and heat strain (heart rate, core temperature, physiological strain index [PSI]) among four chemical protective ensembles (TAP apron [TAP], TAP with chemical barrier pants [TAP + P], chemical barrier coveralls [VB + CA], all with full-face negative pressure respirator, and chemical barrier coveralls without respirator [VB + CA noR]); all compared to work clothes (WC). Methods: Four acclimatized adult males wore all five ensembles in a balanced design while walking at a metabolic rate of about 170 W m-2 in a climatic chamber at 50% relative humidity. A progressive heat stress protocol was used to find WBGTcrit, the point at which there was loss of thermal regulatory control. Mixed effects ANOVA was used to assess ensemble effects. Tukey's test was used to determine where differences occurred. Results: There were no differences among ensembles for core temperature, heart rate, or PSI, which meant that the physiological strain was the same regardless of clothing or respirator. Significantly different WBGTcrit's were found between WC and TAP and for WC and TAP compared to other ensembles (TAP + P, VB + CA, VB + CA noR). No differences were noted with the presence and absence of a respirator. Conclusion: Progressively increasing heat stress burden was seen when moving from TAP to TAP + P to VB + CA. The type of protective clothing ensemble worn is a major contributor to workplace heat risk, but a respirator is not likely to increase heat stress risk. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cardiovascular System Chemistry Heat Stress Disorders Hot Temperature Men Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Respiratory Protective Devices Safety Temperature Women Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Heat Stress Chemical Composition Chemicals Heart Rate Heat Heat Dissipation Heat Stress Humans Physiological Effects Protective Clothing Respirator Respirators Temperature Effects WBGT Work Clothing Work Environment Workers

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• Publisher:
  Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Inc.
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Florida ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064004
• Citation:
  SIOP (Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology) 27th Annual Conference, April 26-28, 2012, San Diego, California. Bowling Green, OH: Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Inc., 2012 Apr; :9
• Contact Point Address:
  Oclla Michele Fletcher, MD, College of Public Health (COPH)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• Performing Organization:
  Sunshine Education and Research Center, University of South Florida
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  SIOP (Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology) 27th Annual Conference, April 26-28, 2012, San Diego, California
• End Date:
  20290630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f4b27215575aeff08097e731d1af82b6f36dbfcacb3721e976532a6471556ae035a23557d1add58cab57064a727a1a04ee7c8e8af7aa30d995ca6b57276ec49a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/222531/cdc_222531_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 82.84 KB ]