Chapter6WorkEnvironmentDesign.pptVIP

III. Temperature: heat and cold stress Heat and cold can impact workers’ Effectiveness Safety (Heat exhaustion) Health Heat can come from: The outdoor work environment in summer time (Borax miners in Death Valley) High temperatures of lack of ventilation indoors, (Offices in Mechanical Engineering in April, when heat is still on) Radiant heat from work (Blast furnace, glass furnace, kitchen oven in restaurant – “Down and Out in Paris and London,” George Orwell) Heat Stress Measurement Core temperatures inside body should be: Normally around 98.6 degrees F; Above 100 F performance drops sharply. Above 105 F sweating stops and death may follow. Thermal comfort zone: 66 to 79 degrees F. Heat exchange between body and environment: S = M +/- C +/- R - E Where M is heat gain from Metabolism; C is heat gained or lost from Convection; R is heat gained or lost due to Radiant energy; E is heat lost through Evaporation of sweat. For thermal neutrality, S should be zero. Heat Stress Measurement Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) approximates impact of temperature and environment on human body: Outdoors in the sun: WBGT = 0.7 NWB + 0.2 GT + 0.1 DB Indoors or outdoors out of sun WBGT = 0.7 NWB + 0.3 GT Where: NWB – natural wet bulb temperature, measure of evaporative cooling, (thermometer in wet cloth with natural air movement over it) GT – globe temperature – measure of heat from radiation (thermometer in black copper sphere) DB – Dry bulb temperature – measure of ambient air temperature (regular thermometer shielded from sun) Heat Stress Management Control environment (indoors) Ventilation (need: 300 cubic feet fresh air per person, per hour.) Heating, cooling, humidity control Administrative: Limit time in hot or cold situations, Provide rest breaks at appropriate intervals in a temperature controlled environment. Shift Work Shift work: working at times other than daytime hours. Helps keep factories, truckin