TY - JOUR
T1 - Impacts of cooling intervention on the heat strain attenuation of construction workers
AU - Zhao, Yijie
AU - Yi, Wen
AU - Chan, Albert P.C.
AU - Wong, Del P.
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgements The work described in this paper was funded by the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (RGC Project No. PolyU510513). This paper forms part of the research projects titled BDeveloping a Personal Cooling System (PCS) for Combating Heat Stress in the Construction Industry,^ from which other deliverables will be produced with different objectives/ scopes but sharing common background and methodology.
Funding Information:
The work described in this paper was funded by the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (RGC Project No. PolyU510513). This paper forms part of the research projects titled ?Developing a Personal Cooling System (PCS) for Combating Heat Stress in the Construction Industry,? from which other deliverables will be produced with different objectives/scopes but sharing common background and methodology.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, ISB.
PY - 2018/9/1
Y1 - 2018/9/1
N2 - This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and practicality of a cooling intervention with a newly designed cooling vest on heat strain attenuation in the construction industry. Fourteen construction workers volunteered to participate in the field study. Each participant took part in two trials, i.e., cooling and control. Construction work included morning and afternoon sessions. Cooling intervention was implemented for 15 and 30 min during the morning and afternoon rest periods, respectively, between repeated bouts of work. Micrometeorological (wet-bulb globe temperature [WBGT]), physiological (tympanic temperature and heart rate), and perceptual (ratings of perceived exertion [RPE] and thermal sensation) measurements were taken during the test. Heat strain indices, including physiological strain index (PSIHR) and perceptual strain index (PeSI), were estimated accordingly. During the study, construction workers were exposed to a hot environment with a mean WBGT of 31.56 ± 1.87 °C. Compared with the control, physiological and perceptual strain were significantly reduced in the cooling condition during rest and subsequent work periods (p < 0.05; d = 0.24–1.07, small to large cooling effect). Cooling intervention significantly alleviates heat strain in the construction industry. The effectiveness and practicality of a proposed cooling intervention were tested in a field study. Results provide a reference for setting guidelines and promoting application on a range of construction sites.
AB - This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and practicality of a cooling intervention with a newly designed cooling vest on heat strain attenuation in the construction industry. Fourteen construction workers volunteered to participate in the field study. Each participant took part in two trials, i.e., cooling and control. Construction work included morning and afternoon sessions. Cooling intervention was implemented for 15 and 30 min during the morning and afternoon rest periods, respectively, between repeated bouts of work. Micrometeorological (wet-bulb globe temperature [WBGT]), physiological (tympanic temperature and heart rate), and perceptual (ratings of perceived exertion [RPE] and thermal sensation) measurements were taken during the test. Heat strain indices, including physiological strain index (PSIHR) and perceptual strain index (PeSI), were estimated accordingly. During the study, construction workers were exposed to a hot environment with a mean WBGT of 31.56 ± 1.87 °C. Compared with the control, physiological and perceptual strain were significantly reduced in the cooling condition during rest and subsequent work periods (p < 0.05; d = 0.24–1.07, small to large cooling effect). Cooling intervention significantly alleviates heat strain in the construction industry. The effectiveness and practicality of a proposed cooling intervention were tested in a field study. Results provide a reference for setting guidelines and promoting application on a range of construction sites.
KW - Construction industry
KW - Cooling intervention
KW - Physiological and perceptual strain
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85047389766&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00484-018-1562-y
DO - 10.1007/s00484-018-1562-y
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 29802501
SN - 0020-7128
VL - 62
SP - 1625
EP - 1634
JO - International Journal of Biometeorology
JF - International Journal of Biometeorology
IS - 9
ER -