Thermophysiological Behavior of the Human Body in Ceramic Industrial Environments

Abstract

The objective of the present study is to perform a detailed analysis of the effect of a hot thermal environment on the human body. For that purpose, a sample of eight Portuguese ceramic industries comprising twenty-one workplaces was considered. The choice for this activity sector is due to its relevance in social and economic terms but also due to its manufacturing characteristics, which are prone to expose the workers to severe thermal environments. Therefore, this activity sector is, among others, particularly adequate for the purpose of this study. The Predicted Heat Strain model (PHS) and a 111-node Human Thermoregulation model (HuTheReg) were used to describe the level of heat exposure. Based on parameters of the human body predicted by the two models, the heat stress risk is estimated and analyzed. The assessment of the compliance level between the PHS and the HuTheReg models is based on a statistical analysis. The agreement between the results estimated by both models is good; however further enhancements are required. Nevertheless, both are valid and very useful tools to assess the level of thermal stress in hot environments. The fact that both models are independent and that complementary information is obtained, results in very positive outcomes thus leading the authors to recommend their joint use whenever detailed assessments of work environments is foreseen.