1.

Heat Stress
Heat stress is particularly problematic in occupational settings, causing heat-induced occupational illnesses, inj uries, and
reduced productivity. Proper assessment
and control methodologies are critical for preventing, or at least greatly reducing, risk of adverse health effects to exposed workers. This session will introduce the process of anticipating,recognizing,
evaluating, and controlling hazards posed by working in hot environments.

2. Contributing Factors

Heat stress is considered to be the sum of heat gene rated in the body (metabo lic heat) plus the heat gained from the environment (environmentalheat) minus the heat lost
from the body to the environment.
Many of the bodily responses to heat exposure are desirable and beneficial. However, at some levelof heat stress, the individual's compensatory mechanisms will no longer be
capable of maintaining body temperature at the level required for normal body functions. As a result, the risk of heat-induced illnesses, disorders, and accidents substant ially
increases.
The level of heat stress at which excessive heat strain will result depends on the heat-tolerance capabilities of the individual.
However, even though there is a wide range of heat tolerance between individuals, each has an
upper limit for heat stress beyond which the resulting heat strain can cause a heat-related casua lty. In most individuals,appropriate repeated exposure to elevated heat stress causes a
series of physiologic adaptations called acclimatization, whereby the body becomes more efficient in coping with the heat stress.

3. Heat Balance
An essent ial requirement for continued normal body funct ion is that the deep body core tempe rature be maintained within the acceptab le range of about 37C (98.6F).
To achieve this body temperature equilibrium requires a constant exchange of heat between the body and the environment. The rate and amount of heat exchange are governed
by the fundamental laws of thermodynamics of heat exchange between objects. The amount of heat that must be exchanged is a funct ion of the tota l heat produced by the body
(metabolic heat) and the heat gained, if any, from the environment.
The three (3) most important factors which influence the degree of thermalstress are climatic conditions, wo rk demands, and clothing. More specifica lly, these include air
temperature and humidity, skin temperatu re, air
ve locity, evapo ration of sweat, radiant temperature, and type, amount, and characteristics of the clothing worn .

4. Clothing Characteristics
Clothing has three (3) characterist ics.
These are
insulation - which is a
measure of the resistance to heat flow by radiation, convection, and conduct ion; the greater the amount of insulation, the less the rate of heat flow from the wa rmer temperature to the
cooler temperature,
permea bility -which is a measure of the resistance to water vapor movement through the clothing; it influences the amount of evapo rative cooling that can be achieved;
generally, as insulation increases,
permeability decreases, and
clothing vent ilation - which, as the third factor, is dependent upon the nature of the fabr ic, garment construction, and work demands, by which ambient air can
move through the fabric or around the garment
openings; clothing ensemb les that support the movement of air can enhance
evaporat ive and convective
cooling, while those that are designed and worn to limit such movement, limit
evapo rative and convective
cooling.

5. Effects of Clothing
Clothing serves as a barrier between the skin and the environment to protect aga inst hazardous chemica l, physical,and biological agents.
A clothing system will also alter the rate and amount of heat exchange between the skin and the ambient air by convection, radiation, and evaporat ion.
When calculating heat exchange by each or all of these routes, it is, therefore, necessary to apply correction factors that reflect the type, amount, and characteristics of the clothing
being worn when the
clothing differs substant ially from the customary one-layer wo rk clothing. In genera l,the greater the air and vapo r impermeability of the clothing barrier layer or layers, the greater is its
interference with convective, radiative, and evaporative heat exchange. Calculating heat
exchange, when it must be modified by the clothing facto r,is a time consuming and complex task that requires the use of a hand held programmable calculator.

6. Heat Balance Equation

There are severa lvar iations of the heat balance equation, but the one we will use, cons idered basic, is

/J.S (M - W) + C + R - E
tis = Change in Body Heat

(M - W) =Total Metabolism - External Work Performed C =Convective Heat Exchange

R =Radiative Heat Exchange
E = Evaporative Heat Loss
Respiratory heat loss is genera lly of minor consequence except during hard work in very dry environments, and is therefore igno red in this version of the heat balance
equation.

To solve the equation, measurement of metabo lic heat product ion, air temperature,air water-vapor pressure,wind velocity, and mean radiant temperature are required.

{j,$ in this equation signifies the change in body heat. If this value is zero, then the body is in thermal equilibrium, with heat gain balanced by loss from the body. If posit ive,

then the body is gaining heat at the rate indicated by the value of 'S'. If negative, then the body is losing heat, and body tempe rature is decreasing.

7. Modes of Heat Exchange

The major modes of heat exchange between an individual and the environment are convection, radiation, and evaporation. Other than brief periods of body contact with hot
objects, such as tools, equipment, floors,etc., which may cause burns, conduct ion plays a minor role in occupat ional heat stress.
Convection - refers to the rate of convective heat exchange between the sk in of a person and the ambient air immediately surround ing the skin, which is a funct ion of
the difference in temperature between the ambient air and the mean weighted skin temperatu re.
Radiation - refers to radiative heat exchange, which is primarily a funct ion of the temperatu re gradient between the mean radiant temperature of the surroundings and
the mean weighted skin temperature.
Evaporation - refers to evaporat ion of water, or sweat, from the skin surface, which results in heat loss from the body; the maximum evaporat ive capacity, and therefore
the maximum capacity for heat loss, is a funct ion of air motion and the water vapor pressure difference between the
ambient air and the wetted skin at skin temperature .