Maintaining health, comfort and productivity in heat waves
نویسنده
چکیده
BACKGROUND The aim of this paper is to summarise what is known about human response to heat and to use this knowledge to provide guidance on how to maintain the health, comfort and performance of people in heat waves. DESIGN The use of power and especially water are critical in providing cooling. A practical method of cooling people in a water bath is described. A warm bath slowly cooled will provide effective cooling but not thermal trauma. RESULT It is concluded that for sedentary and light activities, it is not necessary to cool offices or homes below 25 degrees C for thermal comfort. CONCLUSION To compare the costs due to loss of productivity caused by a heat wave, with the cost of taking action, more research is needed into the relationship between levels of heat stress and how much distraction and 'time off task' it causes.
منابع مشابه
Quantification and assessment of effective of global warming on the occurrence of heat and cold waves in some selected stations in Iran
One of the atmospheric hazards that seriously affect human life and health is the occurrence of thermal tensions and stress in the form of heat and cold waves. Iran is one of the areas of the planet that has climate variability due to its geographical characteristics; therefore, consequently, its different regions are not immune to heat and cold waves. On the other hand, Iran's climate variabil...
متن کاملAwareness of and Attitudes towards Heat Waves within the Context of Climate Change among a Cohort of Residents in Adelaide, Australia
Heat waves are a public health concern in Australia and unprecedented heat waves have been recorded in Adelaide over recent years. The aim of this study was to examine the perception and attitudes towards heat waves in the context of climate change among a group of residents in Adelaide, an Australian city with a temperate climate. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the summer of 2012 amo...
متن کاملتحلیل فضایی امواج گرمایی ایران
Climate risks are the inherent features of Earth's climate. The occurence of heat wave is one of these natural phenomena. Heat waves, one of the basic appearances of climate change, are very important because of frequency and damage of life and property, (Haddow et al, 2008). Frequency of heat wave occurence in recent years, is one of the aspects of climatic changes and extreme weather (Matthie...
متن کامل2.4 a Comparison of Biometeorological Comfort Indices and Human Mortality during Heat Waves in the United States
Numerous biometeorological indices have been developed to account for the thermal stresses encountered by the human body in varying ambient environments. The models from which these indices have been devised are often based on fundamental physics and incorporate factors such as the fluxes of heat and moisture from bare skin, the influence of clothing on these fluxes, and the impacts of radiant ...
متن کاملClimate change impacts on working people (the HOTHAPS initiative): findings of the South African pilot study
BACKGROUND It is now widely accepted that climate change is occurring as a result of the accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere. With the prospect of a warmer world, increased attention is being devoted to the implications for worker well-being and work performance. OBJECTIVES The 'high occupational temperature health and productivity suppression' (HOTHAPS) programme is a mu...
متن کامل