Field study on thermal environment and adaptation of workers in winter

Abstract

In order to analyze the thermal environment and its influence on workers’ thermal adaptation, a field study was conducted in a rubber factory during winter. Indoor and outdoor environmental parameters were measured and subjective questionnaire surveys were collected. The study was conducted from November to January the next year. During the survey, indoor temperature was in the range of 12.6 to 21.7°C and indoor air velocity ranged from 0.15 to 0.3 m/s. The clothing insulation during heating period was between 0.85-0.9 clo, while it was between 1.21-1.33 clo during pre-heating period. The estimated metabolic rate was around 2-2.2 met. Analysis showed that the thermal sensation vote (TSV) was higher than that predicted by PMV. The neutral temperature difference between TSV and PMV was 4.8°C. The thermal comfort and thermal adaptation of workers in winter were systematically analyzed and a thermal adaptive model was proposed. Basis on the adaptive model, the comfort temperature range of workers was suggested.