This paper presents heat stress Standard ISO 7243, which is based upon the wet bulb globe temperature index (WBGT), and considers its suitability for use worldwide. The origins of the WBGT index are considered and how it is used in ISO 7243 and across the world as a simple index for monitoring and assessing hot environments. The standard (and index) has validity, reliability and usability. It i...

The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) seems to be still used world widely for the evaluation of heat stress conditions and it is recommended by ISO and American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists as a screening method. Unfortunately, many occupational health practitioners and users appear to be unaware of its limitations. As the ISO 7243 Standard, based on WBGT, is presently under...

The present study aimed to investigate the applicability of Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) as an innovative and science-based index in public health researches, in occupational heat stress assessment. All indoor and outdoor workers (200 people) of Brick industries of Shahroud, Iran participated in the research. First, the environmental variables such as air temperature, wet-bulb tempera...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to determine heat stress effect on physical capacity of semi-professional footballers in Iran by means of oxygen consumption measurement, heart rate monitoring and WBGT assessment environmental conditions. METHODS This study compared two different thermal environmental conditions related to sub-maximal exercise and its effect on human physical capacity. Th...

The farmers in tropical climate are exposed to high heat during the summer months. The study examined the physiological strains of farmers (N=26) to six combined exposures of work and high heat, with moderate and heavy work (26 to 50%, and 51 to 75% VO(2max)) and three ambient conditions, i.e., 34.4 to 42.2 degrees C WBGT (inside) in an environmental chamber. While the cardio-respiratory respon...

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study has been to evaluate the occupational heat exposure of 12 workers at 5 plants in a subtropical country. MATERIAL AND METHODS The heat stresses and strain on workers in 5 plants were assessed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 7243 index (wet bulb globe temperature - WBGT) and the ISO 7933 index (maximum allowable exposure time - ...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the recently constructed environmental stress index (ESI) for a large database comprising various climatic conditions. Data analysis of measurements from 19 locations revealed a high correlation between ESI and the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index for each database. Validity from statistical analysis, including optimization procedures, slightly c...

Heat illness in the Armed Forces is an emotive issue. No specific service-wide system currently exists to monitor the incidence of heat illness. Within British Forces Cyprus medical policy guidelines for physical activity at various Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) readings were issued in 1988. A local system for reporting heat casualties was introduced in August 1989. This paper examined retr...

BACKGROUND Presumed effects of global warming on occupational heat stress aggravate conditions in many parts of the world, in particular in developing countries. In order to assess and evaluate conditions, heat stress must be described and measured correctly. OBJECTIVE Assessment of heat stress using internationally recognized methods. DESIGN Two such methods are wet bulb globe temperature ...

The purpose of this article is to examine the applicability of Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) index as an innovative index for evaluating of occupational heat stress in outdoor environments. 175 workers of 12 open-pit mines in Tehran, Iran were selected for this research study. First, the environmental variables such as air temperature, wet-bulb temperature, globe temperature, relative ...