Thermographic Analysis of the Hands of Poultry Slaughterhouse Workers Exposed to Artificially Cold Environment

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the temperature of the hands and its relationship with the thermal sensation of hands, and the relationship between the thermal sensation of the hands and the use of the knife. The study included 227 poultry slaughterhouse workers. An infrared camera and a support for hand positioning were used to collect the thermographic images of the dorsal and palmar side of both hands, and a numerical scale was used to obtain the thermal sensation. In order to compare the thermal sensation of the hands among workers who used and those who did not use a knife, the chi-square test was performed. Pearson correlation was used to correlate the temperature of the hands with the workers’ thermal sensation. The temperatures between right and left hand were compared using the Student's t test or Wilcoxon. The participants of the study were working at the poultry slaughterhouse for 6.3±5.8 years and were exposed to room temperatures between 8°C and 12°C. The majority of the workers were right-handed (96.5%) and did not use a knife (55.5%). Regarding to the perception of cold, 78% reported feeling cold hands. There was no correlation (p=0.937) between the use of the knife and the perception of cold. Workers who did not use a knife showed a significant correlation between the thermal sensation and the temperatures of the phalanges, with the exception of the hand's dorsum and palm (p<0.05). However, between knife users there was no association of the temperature of the hands/ fingers with the thermal sensation. There were no differences between the left and right hand's temperatures of the workers who did not use a knife. The workers that use the knife had lower temperatures in the opposite hand, with no significant difference only for the ulnar region of palm and dorsum; this can be due to the handling of refrigerated products with the left hand.