The Effects of Clothing Insulation and Acclimation on the Thermal Comfort of Underground Mine Workers

Climate change and heat stress resilient outdoor workers: findings from systematic literature review

“… 26 20 Nunfam et al, 2020 [ 41 ] Ghana Cross-sectional 144 M and 17 W; Mining workers N N Adaptation policy and social protection strategies should be considered to reduce workers’ vulnerability to thermal stress. 29 21 Talebi et al, 2020 [ 42 ] USA Cross-sectional Underground Mine Workers N N Acclimated workers with clothing can have more continuous work (a full 8-h shift) compared with non-acclimated workers (less than 5 h). 23 22 Tigchelaar et al, 2020 [ 43 ] USA Cross-sectional Agricultural workers N N Safeguarding the well-being and health of agricultural workers require systemic change such as workplace adaptations for the mitigation of heat strain.…”

“… Frequently drink lots of cool water before feeling thirsty; Wear loose and light-coloured clothing; Take regular breaks away from hot conditions in a cooler or shaded area; Used to working in the heat without any medication to cope with heat stress; Use mechanical equipment; Plan and carry out heavy routine outdoor work during the early morning or evening hours or in shaded areas; Training programmes; Share unavoidable heavier jobs and rotate jobs; Slow down work at my pace; Use PPE like sunglasses, wide-brimmed hats and hand gloves; Use cooling systems; Adaptation policy. Talebi et al, 2020 [ 42 ] Clothing insulation; Age; Gender; Fitness; Lifestyle; Experiences; Past medical history; Air temperature; Air velocity; RH; Radiant temperature; Metabolic rate; PPE; Dehydration level; Elevated heart rates and Core temperatures. Acclimation.…”

“…However, workers encounter various barriers, such as inadequate cool housing designs for rest [ 38 ], a lack of management and engineering commitment [ 41 , 42 , 47 ], heavy physical workloads for long hours [ 16 , 47 ] or physically demanding jobs [ 44 , 46 ], insufficient awareness and prevention training [ 38 , 40 , 41 , 43 , 47 ], a lack of knowledge regarding adaptive behavior [ 41 , 43 ], the absence of occupational heat stress guidelines and adaptation strategies [ 38 , 41 , 46 , 47 ], a lack of regular training on adaptation measures [ 41 ], limited management commitment [ 41 ], the nature of the physical workload [ 16 , 40 , 41 , 46 , 47 ], the absence of specific thermal stress-related policy regulations [ 41 ], working in proximity to heat sources [ 16 , 44 , 47 ], the type of protective clothing [ 16 , 40 , 47 ], limited access to innovative technology and equipment [ 41 ], the nature of the work [ 40 , 41 , 46 , 47 ], inadequate management commitment, work-break regimes [ 43 , 47 ] and cooling systems [ 26 , 28 , 40 , 41 , 47 , 48 ]. Additionally, workers face challenges such as inadequate knowledge of adaptive behavior [ 41 , 46 ], a lack of regular training on thermal stress risk, adaptation, and safety measures [ 41 , 47 ], a deficiency in specific heat-related policies and regulations [ 41 ], limited management commitment to heat-related health a...…”

Climate Change and Heat Stress Resilient Outdoor Workers: Findings from Systematic Literature Review

“…Acclimatized workers, with bene cial physiological adaptations like an e cient sweating system, lower heart rate, and core body temperature, can tolerate higher levels of dehydration and lose more water through sweat per shift. This means that the maximum allowable exposure time is greater for acclimatized workers compared to non-acclimatized workers (36,40,45). Venugopal et al demonstrated a strong correlation between physical workload, thermal stress exposures, Heat Strain Indicators (HSIs), and HRIs, leading to adverse health outcomes among outdoor workers (44).…”

“…Occupational-related heat exposure risk factors However, workers encounter various barriers, such as inadequate cool housing designs for rest (36), a lack of management and engineering commitment (39,40,45), heavy physical workloads for long hours (14,45) or physically demanding jobs (42,44), insu cient awareness and prevention training (36,38,39,41,45), a lack of knowledge regarding adaptive behavior (39,41), the absence of occupational heat stress guidelines and adaptation strategies (36,39,44,45), a lack of regular training on adaptation measures (39), limited management commitment (39), the nature of the physical workload (14,38,39,44,45), the absence of speci c thermal stressrelated policy regulations (39), working in proximity to heat sources (14,42,45), the type of protective clothing (14,38,45), limited access to innovative technology and equipment (39), the nature of the work (38,39,44,45), inadequate management commitment, work-break regimes (41,45), and cooling systems (23,25,38,39,…”