Thermal comfort sustained by cold protective clothing in Arctic open-pit mining—a thermal manikin and questionnaire study

Abstract

Workers in the Arctic open-pit mines are exposed to harsh weather conditions. Employers are required to provide protective clothing for workers. This can be the outer layer, but sometimes also inner or middle layers are provided. This study aimed to determine how Arctic open-pit miners protect themselves against cold and the sufficiency, and the selection criteria of the garments. Workers’ cold experiences and the clothing in four Arctic open-pit mines in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia were evaluated by a questionnaire (n=1,323). Basic thermal insulation (Icl) of the reported clothing was estimated (ISO 9920). The Icl of clothing from the mines were also measured by thermal manikin (standing/walking) in 0.3 and 4.0 m/s wind. The questionnaire showed that the Icl of the selected clothing was on average 1.2 and 1.5 clo in mild (−5 to +5°C) and dry cold (−20 to −10°C) conditions, respectively. The Icl of the clothing measured by thermal manikin was 1.9–2.3 clo. The results show that the Arctic open-pit miners’ selected their clothing based on occupational (time outdoors), environmental (temperature, wind, moisture) and individual factors (cold sensitivity, general health). However, the selected clothing was not sufficient to prevent cooling completely at ambient temperatures below −10°C.

New development of research on personal protective equipment (PPE) for occupational safety and health

“…Thus, we believe that this special issue provides recent and significant information of international (Brazil 8 ) , China 10 ) , Finland 3 ) , Netherlands 2 ) , Norway 3 , 4 ) , Poland 11 ) , Switzerland 7 , 11 ) , Sweden 3 ) , the UK 8 ) , and the USA 2 , 8 , 12 ) ) and Japanese 1 , 5 , 9 ) research progress on PPE at work. Even so, this issue has a limitation in that we could not cover every PPE that is important for occupational safety and health, especially concerning head protection, foot protection, protection against falls, ballistic protection, eye and face protection, hearing protection, and respiratory protective devices.…”

“…From this viewpoint, this special issue was planned to represent state-of-the-art knowledge on the development and evaluation of PPE. It is presented by many internationally distinguished experts representing the fields of physical (stabbing 1 ) , radiant heat 2 ) , cold 3 , 4 ) , ionizing radiation 5 ) , vibration 6 ) ), chemical 7 , 8 ) , and biological 9 ) hazard protection and assessment of thermal properties 10 , 11 , 12 ) of PPE and the environmental impacts on occupational safety and health.…”

Advanced Functional Materials for Intelligent Thermoregulation in Personal Protective Equipment

“…During intense activities in the cold, excessive perspiration, and consequently the humidification of the inner layers of the garment, can lead to a considerable decrease in thermal insulation, thus increasing the risk of cold-related injuries [141], [142]. To offer a better level of comfort and higher endurance during activities in extreme cold, warm personal clothing has been proposed by actors of the textile industry.…”

Prevalence of cold-related symptoms among Thai chicken meat industry workers: association with workplace temperature and thermal insulation of clothing

“…. The interviewees were also asked about 28 clothing items used at work, as described by the international standard (ISO 9920) and previously used in cold workers’ studies 8 ) . Thermal insulation of the clothing ensemble (clo) was calculated as basic thermal insulation I cl = 0.161 + 0.835 ∑ I clu , where I clu denotes the clo value of each clothing item 8 ) .…”

“…In an industrial setting, the effects of the cold can be mitigated by technical measures and by limiting the time spent in the cold, but the central means is protective clothing 15 ) . The main reasons underlying insufficient clothing are 1) failure to follow the regulations because clothing hampers work performance 8 ) , 2) warming-up breaks that are too short compared with the time spent in the cold, or 3) the thermal insulation provided by the clothing is simply insufficient due to few clothing items or not enough clothing layers. Occupational health personnel should pay more attention to the respiratory, cardiac, and circulatory symptoms that workers attribute to the cold in their workplace.…”