Dataset Information

Estimating Occupational Heat Exposure From Personal Sampling of Public Works Employees in Birmingham, Alabama.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE:This study investigated whether using thermometers clipped on workers' shoes would result in different heat exposure estimation and work-rest schedules compared with using area-level meteorological data alone. METHODS:Alabama workers (n?=?51) were individually monitored using thermometers on shoes. Wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) was estimated using thermometer temperatures (WBGT [personal]) or nearby weather station temperatures (WBGT [WS]). Work-rest schedules were determined from WBGT, clothing, and hourly metabolic rates estimated from self-reported tasks and bodyweight. RESULTS:The percent of hours exceeding the threshold limit value (TLV, ACGIH, Cincinnati, OH) were estimated at 47.8% using WBGT (personal) versus 42.1% using WBGT (WS). For work-rest recommendations, more hours fell into the most protective schedule (0 to 15?min work/45 to 60?min rest) using WBGT (personal) versus WBGT (WS) (17.4% vs 14.4%). CONCLUSIONS:Temperatures from wearable thermometers, together with meteorological data, can serve as an additional method to identify occupational heat stress exposure and recommend work-rest schedules.

SUBMITTER: Wang S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6687320 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Estimating Occupational Heat Exposure From Personal Sampling of Public Works Employees in Birmingham, Alabama.

Wang Suwei S Richardson Molly B MB Wu Connor Y H CYH Cholewa Carly D CD Lungu Claudiu T CT Zaitchik Benjamin F BF Gohlke Julia M JM

Journal of occupational and environmental medicine 20190601 6

<h4>Objective</h4>This study investigated whether using thermometers clipped on workers' shoes would result in different heat exposure estimation and work-rest schedules compared with using area-level meteorological data alone.<h4>Methods</h4>Alabama workers (n = 51) were individually monitored using thermometers on shoes. Wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) was estimated using thermometer temperatures (WBGT [personal]) or nearby weather station temperatures (WBGT [WS]). Work-rest schedules were d ...[more]

PMID: 30985616

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Project description:Prolonged exposure to airborne ultrasound in a workplace can have a detrimental influence on a worker's well-being. Given the ever-increasing use of ultrasonic industrial equipment, it is of vital importance-and may also be regulated by law-to monitor ultrasound exposure during a normal workday as part of workplace risk assessment. However, the devices currently utilized exhibit limitations with regard to both their operational frequency and their portability (wearability). In this paper, the first prototype of a high-frequency and ultrasound personal exposimeter is presented in the light of the latest national and international standards governing high-frequency and ultrasonic noise measurement in the field of occupational health monitoring. The prototype was tested in the laboratory environment in order to assess its sound level detection capabilities in both the audible and ultrasonic frequency ranges. Several common industrial scenarios-including an ultrasonic welding machine, an ultrasonic cleaning bath, and a compressed air gun-were simulated in a laboratory environment. For each simulated set-up, a corresponding high-frequency or ultrasonic signal was fed through a specially prepared generation chain. Each experimental scenario was initially surveyed with an ultrasound level meter previously tested up to 100 kHz. This was followed by a measurement with the prototype. For this study, the simulated sound signals varied between 10 kHz and 40 kHz on the frequency scale and between 60 dB and 90 dB in amplitude. The portability of the prototype, which may be required to be worn throughout an entire workday (e.g., 8 h), was also considered. All the experiments were performed on a customized ultrasound measurement set-up within a free-field environment located at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Braunschweig, Germany. Results obtained suggest a good agreement between the measurements performed with both devices in the louder areas of the sound fields produced. Because the overall measurement uncertainty is highly dependent on the specificity of the individual measurement set-up and measurement procedure, an uncertainty budget estimated for the prototype considers electro-acoustical contributions only.

Dataset Information

Estimating Occupational Heat Exposure From Personal Sampling of Public Works Employees in Birmingham, Alabama.

Publications

Estimating Occupational Heat Exposure From Personal Sampling of Public Works Employees in Birmingham, Alabama.

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