Heat strain in permeable and impermeable clothing and equipment
conference paper
It is well documented that protective clothing against chemical and biological agents imposes heat stress for the wearer. Performance degradation is generally the result. Several factors are responsible for this performance degradation. The first factor is the increased metabolism to compensate for the additional weight of the clothing and equipment. Other factors are clothing fit and the decreased heat loss due to increased insulation and reduced water vapour permeability. When a protective mask is worn, the increased breathing resistance is the main factor causing performance decrement. In a series of experiments several clothing and equipment parameters were varied to investigate the impact on heat strain and operational performance. Impermeable clothing was compared to semi-permeable and air-permeable materials and showed more performance degradation. The effect of wearing an impermeable hood was also noticeable in the temperatures of the head. We conclude that ergonomic aspects of clothing are strongly related to heat strain and operational performance.
TNO Identifier
981360
Publisher
Elsevier
Source title
International Ergonomics Association (IEA) 2006, 16th World Congress on Ergonomics "Meeting diversity in ergonomics", Maastricht, 10-14 July
Editor(s)
Pikaar, R.N.
Koningsveld, E.A.P.
Settels, P.J.M.
Koningsveld, E.A.P.
Settels, P.J.M.
Place of publication
Oxford
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