Types Of Protective Clothing Research Articles

Thermal Properties of Special New Generation Personal Protective Clothing for Firefighters-Rescuers

Every day, firefighters put their health and life at risk by saving people and their property not only during fires, but by being always ready during all kinds of unfortunate events. Therefore, they need special personal protective equipment, including protective clothing. The purpose of the study was to compare thermal properties of new (PROTON and SYRIUSZ) and old (US-03) personal protective clothing for firefighters. Measurements of thermal insulation (total, effective and local) were carried out using a full body shape thermal manikin Newton consisting of 34 segments, in which temperature and heat flux were controlled independently. Results of the total thermal insulation of the entire clothing reveal differences between all three models. The lowest values were noticed for the model PROTON with light and shorter jacket and the highest values of thermal insulation for the new model SYRIUSZ, indicating that this model protect the user against heat most effectively. New models of personal protective clothing for firefighters should be recommended for use in everyday work, because they are characterized by better parameters than the previous type of protective clothing, both in terms of thermal protection and mobility.

Physiological tests on firefighters whilst using protective clothing

In addition to the intense effort of firefighters during rescue operations and an adverse thermal environment, the properties of clothing can also hinder the performance of occupational activities. The heat load of firefighters during diversified effort in a climate chamber was compared for two types of protective clothing (barrack [B] clothing and barrack under special-purpose [S] clothing) at two levels of air temperature (20 and 30 °C). During testing, physiological parameters of heat strain were measured and subjective ratings were collected. There was a small increase in physiological parameters and subjective ratings at 20 °C in S clothing compared to the results in B clothing, whereas those differences were substantial at 30 °C. So, the structure of S clothing, which ensures protection of firefighters against high temperatures and flames, and its watertight layer make it significantly more difficult for the body to give off heat.

Monitoring core temperature of firefighters to validate a wearable non-invasive core thermometer in different types of protective clothing: Concurrent in-vivo validation

This study aims (1) to test the validity of a new non-invasive core thermometer, Cosinuss°, in rest and (2) during firefighting simulation tasks, against invasive temperature pill and inner-ear temperature and (3) to compare the change in core temperature of firefighters when working in two types of protective clothing (traditional turnout gear versus new concept). 11 active firefighters performed twice a selection of tasks during their periodic preventive medical examination and a fire-extinguishing task. Without correction no correlation between the Cosinuss° and thermometer pill (ICC≤0.09, p ≥ 0.154, LoA≥1.37) and a moderate correlation between Cosinuss° and inner-ear infrared (ICC = 0.40, p = 0.044, LoA±1.20) was observed. With individual correction both correlations were excellent (ICC≥0.84, p = 0.000, LoA≤0.30). However, during and after working all correlations were poor and non-significant (ICC≤0.38, p ≥ 0.091, LoA≥1.71). During firefighting tasks, the Cosinuss° is invalid for measuring the core temperature. No differences in heat development in the two types of protective clothing was proven.

Determination of a Comfort Class for Protective Clothing Based on Ergonomic Tests

In addition to compliance with requirements concerning specific protective properties, protective clothing should also provide a sense of comfort to the user. No clearly identified evaluation criteria for the ergonomic properties of protective clothing is currently available. Methods applied do not allow for quantitative assessment of protective garments that enables to compare the various types of clothing. A new methodology of testing and ergonomic evaluation of protective clothing based on comparative studies of protective clothing versus reference clothing was developed herein. The use of reference garments enable a quantitative ergonomic assessment of protective clothing by placing it in an appropriate comfort class. Ergonomic studies in accordance with the methodology developed were carried out on two types of protective clothing, i.e. protective clothing for firefighters and clothing that protects against chemical agents. Based on these studies, the protective clothing was assigned to an appropriate comfort class.

Active luminous elements in the high visibility clothing and EU conformity assessment

The insufficient, individual visibility of employees in various work environments and road traffic participants (e.g. in the night conditions, during bad weather), is still one the main causes of road accidents involving pedestrians, and collisions between people and machines. Both in professional and non-professional activities, the use of high visibility (warning) clothing and reflective elements seems to be the only way to increase the individual visibility of a human. A dynamically developing market of various types of non-incadescent light sources with small size, often flexible, emitting light with different colors and photometric parameters allows the application of these luminous elements to the warning clothing. The article presents examples of electroluminescent light sources (LED diodes, El wire, El tape, El panel) and optical fibers applied in the warning clothing. The analysis of the current detailed normative requirements and the legal status regarding the use of warning clothing with active light sources indicates that they are not sufficient to carry out the tests and EU conformity assessment of this type of protective clothing.

Patterns of mandibular fractures related to interaction with horses

Background: The risks of facial injuries with horse-related activities are much higher than in other sports. There are just a few studies about horse-related maxillofacial injuries, and there are even less data in particular about mandibular fractures. However, the aim of this study was to determine the patterns for mandibular fractures caused by horse contact or horseback riding. Materials and Methods: Data from patient records were collected over 15 years from January 2000 to March 2015. All patients who suffer a mandibular fracture caused by horse contact or horseback riding were included in this study. The analysis contained demographical data, trauma mechanism, type of mandible fracture, and type of protective clothing. Results: Overall, 23 patients within 37 fractures were included in the study. Of those, 87% were females and 13% males. More than the half (52.2%) were aged between 16 and 30 years. The most common trauma mechanism was a horse kick (78.3%). The most common site of fractures was the parasymphysis (32.4%) and the condylar region (32.4%), followed by the angle (21.7%). In addition, 52.2% of the patients had a single and 47.8% a combined fracture of the mandible. Nearly all patients (95.7%) underwent surgery. Open reduction and internal fixation was the treatment of choice. Only 17.4% of the patients wore a helmet. Conclusion: Mandibular fractures are not the leading trauma in horse relating accidents; however, they are often associated with functional loss. The most frequent cause is a kick from the horse while unmounted. Hence, there is a need for protective equipment usage at all times around horses especially wearing a helmet with a face guard.

Exploring Polytechnic Students’ Awareness of Safety Equipment and Precautions for Sustainable Working Environment in School Workshops

This study explored polytechnic students’ awareness of workshop safety precautions and sought to ascertain whether students’ awareness of safety influenced the lack of rampant report of accidents during workshop practices. A total of 130 National Diploma Engineering students participated in the survey, who filled out questionnaire with 15 items measuring awareness of workshop safety precautions. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data. The results showed that a majority of students have between moderate to high level of awareness of workshop safety precaution except in 3 items where students have between low and zero level awareness. Furthermore, the results showed 3 items with high mean scores of 3.09, 3.24 and 3.01 respectively. These items were; the type of floor to be used in the workshop; type of protective clothing that should be worn in the workshop, and that students should never use any tool or machine until they knew how to use it.” This meant that, students indicated high level of awareness of safety consideration in the stated items compared to others. The overall result indicates that students have quite a high level of awareness of workshop safety. The result further revealed that students’ high level of awareness on safety has influenced the environmentally safe working condition in the polytechnic workshops.

Dressed for action

Why do construction workers need to wear hard hats, and lolly pop people, high visibility jackets? Have fun exploring the different types of protective clothing that professionals wear to do their jobs.

Prediction of the Physiological Response of Humans Wearing Protective Clothing Using a Thermophysiological Human Simulator

Most standards and devices for determining clothing properties ignore the physiological state of the wearer and are inadequate to evaluate the transient thermal properties of clothing ensembles. This study evaluated the physiological burden of different types of protective clothing and environmental conditions using the recently developed single-sector thermo-physiological human simulator and compared its performance with a thermal cylinder (without the physiological control model) and with an advanced physiological model (with a simple clothing model). A single-sector physiological simulator developed to simulate the dynamic thermal and perceptual behavior of humans over a wide range of environmental and personal conditions was successfully validated in this study through tests with clothed individuals exposed to hot and cold conditions. In comparative tests on water vapor permeable and impermeable clothing samples, the simulator provided a much more complete picture of actual clothing performance, for example, in terms of moisture retention within the clothing and the additional cooling due to the “heat pipe” effect in impermeable clothing.

Protective Clothing in the Chemical Industries

THE value of protective clothing for workers in the chemical industries is steadily winning wider recognition in Britain, and a number of government regulations and welfare orders are in force which make compulsory the wearing of special protective clothing in many branches of the chemical industry. In addition to these compulsory measures, where special risks are encountered, advice can be sought from H. M. Inspector of Factories and examples of different types of protective clothing may be seen at a special industrial museum controlled by the Home Office. The Home Office has recently issued a welfare pamphlet summarizing its recommendations for protective clothing, in which it is pointed out that, while the protective efficiency of the clothing selected must be the first consideration, the comfort of the wearer is of great importance. Often, after expensive protective clothing has been provided, complaints are made that the workers will not wear it. In many cases a well-founded ...

Cardiac Catheterization: Impact of Face and Neck Shielding on New Estimates of Effective Dose

Optimization of radiation protection devices for the operator is achieved by minimizing the effective dose (E) on the basis of the recommendations of Publications 60 and 103 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). Radiation exposure dosimetry was performed with thermoluminescence dosimeters using one Alderson phantom in the patient position and a second one in the typical position of the operator. Various types of protective clothing as well as fixed leaded shieldings (table mounted shielding and overhead suspended shields) were considered calculating E. Shielding factors for protective equipment can readily be misinterpreted referring to the reduction of the effective dose because fixed protective barriers as well as radiation protection clothing are shielding only parts of the body. With the ICRP 103 approach relative to the exposure without lead protection, a lead apron of 0.35 or 0.5 mm thickness reduces E to 14.4 or 12.3%, respectively; by using an additional thyroid collar, these values are reduced to 9.7 or 7.5%. A thyroid collar reduces the effective dose by more than an increase of the lead equivalency of the existing apron. Wearing an apron of 0.5 mm lead-equivalent with a thyroid collar and using an additional side shield, E decreases to 6.8%. Using both a fixed side and face shield decreases E to 2.0%. For protective garments including thyroid protection, the values of the effective dose in cardiac catheterization are 47-106% higher with ICRP 103 than with ICRP 60 recommendations. This is essentially caused by the introduction of new factors for organs in the head and neck region in ICRP 103.

Modelling the cryogenic treatment of warts and recommendations for changes to current clinical practice

Cryotherapy is a commonly used and recommended treatment for warts and there is wide variation in technique between clinicians applying the same mode of cryotherapy. To address this uncertainty in clinical practice a mathematical model is used to demonstrate the relationship between freezing time and tissue freezing zone for two commonly used cryogens (liquid nitrogen spray and nitrous oxide probes). It is found that nitrous oxide probes need substantially longer application time to obtain the same necrosis region as liquid nitrogen sprays. Overspray from liquid nitrogen spray is shown to lead to increased damage to healthy tissue surrounding a wart. Using a barrier of petrolatum (petroleum jelly) on the healthy tissue is demonstrated to be an effective means for limiting this damage. Changes to clinical practice to take account of these findings are recommended and need clinical trials to verify their applicability. References G. Aguilar, W. Verkruysse, B. Majaron, L. O. Svaasand, E. J. Lavernia, and J. S. Nelson. Measurement of heat flux and heat transfer coefficient during continuous cryogen spray cooling for laser dermatologic surgery. J. on Selected Topics in Quantum Elect. , 7:1013--1021, 2001. doi:10.1109/2944.983307 . Anonymous. Clinical effectiveness group: National guidelines for the management of anogenital warts. http://www.bashh.org/documents/86/86.pdf . M. Connolly, K. Bazmi, M. O'Connell, J. F. Lyons, and J F. Bourke. Cryotherapy of viral warts: a sustained 10-s freeze is more effective than the traditional method. Brit. J. Derm. , 145:554--557, 2001. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2133.2001.04449.x . FlexPDE. http://www.pdesolutions.com . H. McClean and S. Shann. A cross-sectional survey of treatment choices for anogenital warts. Int. J. STD and AIDS , 16:212--216, 2005. doi:10.1258/0956462053420130 . G. N. Mercer and H. S. Sidhu. A heat transfer model describing burns to the skin from automotive airbags. In Andrew Stacey, Bill Blyth, John Shepherd, and A. J. Roberts, editors, Proceedings of the 7th Biennial Engineering Mathematics and Applications Conference, EMAC-2005 , volume 47 of ANZIAM J. , pages C339--C354, October 2006. \protect http://anziamj.austms.org.au/V47EMAC2005/Mercer [October 3, 2006]. G. N. Mercer and H. S. Sidhu. Mathematical modelling of the effect of fire exposure on a new type of protective clothing. In Geoffry N. Mercer and A. J. Roberts, editors, Proceedings of the 8th Biennial Engineering Mathematics and Applications Conference, EMAC-2007 , volume 49 of ANZIAM J. , pages C289--C305, January 2008. http://anziamj.austms.org.au/ojs/index.php/ANZIAMJ/article/view/346 [January 8, 2008]. J. Sherrard and L. Riddell. Comparison of the effectiveness of commonly used clinic-based treatments for external genital warts. Int. J. STD and AIDS , 18:365--368, 2007. doi:10.1258/095646207781024711 . J.C. Sterling, S. Handfield-Jones, and P. M. Hudson. Guidelines for the management of cutaneous warts. Brit. J. Derm. , 144:4--11, 2001. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2133.2001.04066.x . D. A. Torvi and J. D. Dale. A finite element model of skin subjected to a flash fire. J. Biomechanical Eng. , 116:250--255, 1994.

Comparison of Eight Types of Protective Clothing against Irukandji Jellyfish Stings

Abstract Marine stingers hospitalize approximately 100 people annually in tropical Australian waters, and are known to have caused at least 73 fatalities. Elsewhere in the tropical and temperate seas of the world, marine stingers pose a similar threat to human safety, and reported sting numbers are on the rise. Lycra body suits (“stinger suits”) have been used for stinger protection since the early 1980s, but have not been formally tested as a barrier against Irukandji (Carukia barnesi) tentacles. Other products are being used and developed; however, no safety standards currently exist for this widely used form of protective equipment. Eight products were tested with live C. barnesi: a Lycra stinger suit used by Surf Life Saving, a product developed by ROBIS Pty. Ltd. and marketed as “The Stinger Suit”, three different styles of nylon pantyhose, two sport products designed to “wick away” moisture and keep the wearer cooler, and a 0.5-mm neoprene wetsuit. Products were evaluated for seven common concerns r...

A finite element modeling of thermal conductivity of fabrics embedded with phase change material

The thermal capacitance of a fabric is increased when the fabric is embedded with a phase change material (PCM). This is due to utilizing the latent heat release or absorption of the PCM during its phase change process. This article presents a modified finite element method algorithm based on the Galerkin weak formulation with quadratic shape functions. The modification correctly models the phase change process. A diver's dry suit made from four types of garments, 1-layer Thinsulate, 1-layer PCM, and 2-layer and 4-layer Thinsulate-PCM composites, are investigated using the modified finite element method. Temperature profiles and heat fluxes are compared with and are shown to be superior to results obtained using a finite difference procedure. References D. P. Colvin and Y. G. Bryant. Protective clothing containing encapsulated phase change materials. Advances in Heat and Mass Transfer in Biotechnology, HD-Vol. 362/BED-Vol. 40:123--132,1998. J. A. Gear, M. J. Lachut and Y. Ding. Enchanced thermal performance of garments embeded with encapsulated phase change material. ANZIAM J., 47(EMAC2005):C137--C151, 2006. http://anziamj.austms.org.au/V47EMAC2005/Gear J. M. Hill and J. N. Dewynne. Heat Conduction. Applied mathematics and engineering science texts. Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1987. D. C. Hittle and T. L. Andre. A new test instrument and procedure for evaluation of fabrics containing phase-change material. ASHRAE Transactions, 4509:175--182, 2002. G. E. R. Lamb and K. Duffy-Morris. Heat loss through fabrics under ventilation with and without a phase transition additive. Textile Research Journal, pages 261--265, ISSN:0040-5175. G. A. Lane. Solar heat storage: latent heat material. Vol. I, CRC Press, Boco Raton, Florida, 1983. G. N. Mercer, and H. S. Sidhu. Mathematical modelling of the effect of fire exposure on a new type of protective clothing. To appear in ANZIAM J., V49. Proceedings of the 8th Biennial Engineering Mathematics and Applications Conference, EMAC-2007. Editors G. N. Mercer and A. J. Roberts. M. L. Nuckols. Analytical modeling of a diver dry suit enhanced with micro-encapsulated phase change materials. Ocean Engineering, 26:547--564, 1999. doi:10.1016/S0029-8018(98)00001-8 O. C. Zienkiewicz, R. L. Taylor, and J. Z. Zhu. The finite element method: its basis and fundamentals, sixth edition, Elsevier Butterworth--Heinemann 2005. ISBN 0750663200

Mathematical modelling of the effect of fire exposure on a new type of protective clothing

We model the behaviour of heat transport through a new type of protective clothing that varies its properties with temperature. Heat absorption due to phase change within the material is used to limit the heat conduction of the material. We investigate the performance of such a material to determine the possibility of using these types of materials as protective clothing for firefighters. Clothing with embedded phase change material is found to give significantly more protection than conventional firefighting clothing. References ASTMD 4108-87 standard test method for thermal protective performance of materials for clothing by open-flame method, 1987. American Society for Testing and Materials, West Conshohocken, PA. J. M. Carter, M. P. Rayson, D. M. Wilkinson, V. Richmod, and S. Blacker. Strategies to combat heat strain during and after firefighting. J. Thermal Biology , 32:109--116, 2007. doi:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2006.12.001 . P. Chitrphiromsri and A. V. Kuznetsov. Modeling heat and moisture transport in firefighter protective clothing during flash fire exposure. Heat Mass Transfer , 41:206--215, 2005. doi:10.1007/s00231-004-0504-x . K. R. Diller. Modeling thermal skin burns on a personal computer. Journal of Burn Care and Rehabilitation , 19:420--429, 1998. J. Fan and X. Y. Cheng. Heat and moisture transfer with sorption and phase change through clothing assemblies. Textile Research J. , 75(3):187--196, 2005. doi:10.1177/004051750507500301 . FlexPDE. http://www.pdesolutions.com . J. A. Foster and G. V. Roberts. Measurements of the firefighting environment - summary report. Fire Engineers J. , 55:30--34, 1995. J. A. Gear, M. J. Lachut, and Y. Ding. Enhanced thermal performance of garments embedded with encapsulated phase change material. In Andrew Stacey, Bill Blyth, John Shepherd, and A. J. Roberts, editors, Proceedings of the 7th Biennial Engineering Mathematics and Applications Conference, EMAC-2005 , volume 47 of ANZIAM J. , pages C137--C151, July 2006. http://anziamj.austms.org.au/V47EMAC2005/Gear . F. C. Henriques. Studies of thermal injury V. The predictability and the significance of thermally induced rate processes leading to irreversible epidermal injury. Archives of Pathology , 43:489--502, 1947. S. C. Jiang, N. Ma, H. J. Li, and X. X. Zhang. Effects of thermal properties and geometrical dimensions on skin burn injuries. Burns , 28:713--717, 2002. doi:10.1016/S0305-4179(02)00104-3 . G. N. Mercer and H. S. Sidhu. A heat transfer model describing burns to the skin from automotive airbags. In Andrew Stacey, Bill Blyth, John Shepherd, and A. J. Roberts, editors, Proceedings of the 7th Biennial Engineering Mathematics and Applications Conference, EMAC-2005 , volume 47 of ANZIAM J. , pages C339--C354, October 2006. http://anziamj.austms.org.au/V47EMAC2005/Mercer . E. Y. K. Ng and L. T. Chua. Comparison of one- and two-dimensional programmes for predicting the state of skin burns. Burns , 28:27--34, 2002. doi:10.1016/S0305-4179(01)00066-3 . H. Shim, E. A. McCullough, and B. W. Jones. Using phase change materials in clothing. Textile Research J. , 6:4955 -- 4962, 2001. D. A. Torvi and J. D. Dale. A finite element model of skin subjected to a flash fire. Journal of Biomechanical Engineering , 116:250--255, 1994. R. L. Vettori, W. H. Twilley, and D.W. D. W. Stroup. Measurement techniques for low heat flux exposures to fire fighters protective clothing. 2001. National Institute of Standards and Technology, NISTIR 6750, Gaithersburg, MD. S. X. Wang, Y. Li, J. Y. Hu, H. Tokura, and Q. W. Song. Effect of phase-change material on energy consumption of intelligent thermal protective clothing. Polymer Testing , 25:580--587, 2006. doi:10.1016/j.polymertesting.2006.01.018 . B. Ying, Y. Kwok, Y. Li, Q. Zhu, and C. Yeung. Assessing the performance of textiles incorporating phase change materials. Polymer Testing , 23:541--549, 2004. doi:10.1016/j.polymertesting.2003.11.002 . B. Zalba, J. M. Marin, L. F. Cabeza, and H. Mehling H. Review on thermal energy storage with phase change: materials, heat transfer analysis and applications. Applied Thermal Eng. , 23:251--283, 2003. doi:doi:10.1016/S1359-4311(02)00192-8 .

Wie konservativ ist die Abschätzung der effektiven Dosis durch die amtliche Personendosimetrie für das Personal in der Radiologie?

Dose values obtained by official personal radiation exposure monitoring are often considered equivalent to the effective dose of a person. This paper provides estimates of the extent of deviation between the two dose concepts under various conditions. Doses for patients and personnel were measured using thermoluminescence dosimeters for five different geometries at three work settings in a radiology department. Patients and personnel were simulated with anthropomorphic phantoms. Different types of protective clothing as well as permanent protection shields were considered in the calculations. Dose values obtained by official personal dose monitoring are conservative only for specific radiation protection situations. With state-of-the-art personal protective equipment (wrap-around style lead apron with thyroid shield), the ratio between effective dose and personal dose varies between 0.6 and 1.25. Without thyroid protection the official personal dose systematically underestimates the effective dose: for protective clothing with 0.5 mm lead equivalent without thyroid shielding, the effective dose exceeds the personal dose by factors between 1.7 and 3.1. If protective clothing with lead equivalent 0.35 mm is used, this factor varies between 1.1 and 1.82. The official exposure monitoring algorithms for estimating the effective dose for occupationally exposed personnel are not always appropriate for typical situations in diagnostic radiology. Improved dose measurement protocols should avoid underestimation of the effective dose. The results presented herein provide an opportunity to derive more realistic effective dose values from personal dosimetry measurements.

Optimierung des Strahlenschutzes für das Personal in der Radiologie auf Grundlage der effektiven Dosis

In the present study the optimization of radiation protection devices is achieved by minimizing the effective dose of the staff members since the stochastic radiation effects correlate to the effective dose. Radiation exposure dosimetry was performed with TLD measurements using one Alderson Phantom in the patient position and a second phantom in the typical position of the personnel. Various types of protective clothing as well as fixed shields were considered in the calculations. It was shown that the doses of the unshielded organs (thyroid, parts of the active bone marrow) contribute significantly to the effective dose of the staff. Therefore, there is no linear relationship between the shielding factors for protective garments and the effective dose. An additional thyroid protection collar reduces the effective dose by a factor of 1.7 - 3.0. X-ray protective clothing with a 0.35 mm lead equivalent and an additional thyroid protection collar provides better protection against radiation than an apron with a 0.5 mm lead equivalent but no collar. The use of thyroid protection collars is an effective preventive measure against exceeding occupational organ dose limits, and a thyroid shield also considerably reduces the effective dose. Therefore, thyroid protection collars should be a required component of anti-X protection.

PHYSIOLOGICAL STRAIN BASED ON CRITICAL WBGT AND METABOLIC RATE

Increased core temperature (Tre), skin temperature (Tsk) and heart rate (HR) are physiological indicators of heat strain. Heat stress is dependent on environmental conditions, metabolic raet, and clothing. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine which of these variables of heat stress affect physiological markers of heat strain in certain types of protective clothing. METHODS Thirteen heat-acclimated participants (4F, 9M) walked at 3 metabolic rates (80, 160, & 240 W/m2) in five different clothing ensembles (cotton work clothes, cotton coveralls, Tyvek 1424, NexGen, & Tyvek QC). Trials began under environmental conditions set at 34 ° C, 50% rh. Once the participants reached physiological steady state, temperature was increased incrementally until the participant could no longer maintain thermal equilibrium. This was designated as critical WBGT. Multiple linear regression was performed with Tre, Tsk and HR as the dependent variables. RESULTS Clothing was not a significant predictor of any of the dependent variables (p > 0.05). For HR, critical WBGT was a significant predictor but accounted for only 9% of the variance (p < 0.05). Both metabolic rate and critical WBGT were significant predictors of Tsk accounting for 25% of the variance with critical WBGT alone accounting for 19.5% of the variance (p < 0.05). Both metabolic rate and critical WBGT were significant predictors of Tre accounting for 29.5% of the variance. Metabolic rate alone accounted for 28% of the variance in Tre (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION HR and Tsk can be predicted from critical WBGT. Increased Tre is primarily dependent on metabolic rate.

Progress in Establishing Safety Protocols Based on CDC and OSHA Recommendations

In 1987, following the first documented reports of occupationally acquired human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in healthcare employees, the American Nurses Association and some labor unions petitioned the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue an emergency infection control standard. OSHA responded by enforcing a series of voluntary guidelines developed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) four years earlier. A draft of regulations proposed by OSHA was published in the Federal Register, and the final set of these regulations is expected in early 1991. In the proposed guidelines, hepatitis B is cited as a major health risk to healthcare personnel--a more significant risk than HIV. The degree of risk varies between units in the hospital and between hospitals and other facilities. Standards are set for types of protective clothing and equipment, and for housekeeping and laundry areas. The report sets rules governing infectious waste disposal. It establishes guidelines for tracking employees, pre- and post-exposure. In enforcing these rules and guidelines, hospitals should stress continued education and training in order to increase compliance. A recent study revealed that, after a two-year training/evaluation period, physician compliance with infection control procedures increased from 20% to 80%, and nurse compliance rose from 50% to 86%.

Comparative Assessment of Protective Clothing Performance by Measurement of Dermal Exposure during Pesticide Applications

Abstract Protective clothing performance was assessed among 25 workers by adding a fluorescent tracer to spray tanks during high-volume airblast applications and measuring dermal exposure to the tracer with a video imaging system. Three types of protective clothing were evaluated: 50/50 cotton/polyester workshirts, 65/35 cotton/ polyester woven coveralls, and nonwoven coveralls (untreated Tyvek[rgrave]). Workers also wore neoprene gloves during all work activities. A substantial portion of exposure beneath clothing occurred near the sleeve and neck openings in the garments. This direct deposition is attributed to air exchange inside clothing due to body worker movements (pumping effects). Hand exposure was measured for all workers and was likely due to contamination during glove removal and handling. Workshirts provided significantly less protection than coveralls during application. No difference in exposure reduction between the two coveralls was demonstrated. The use of coveralls in place of workshirts...