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Thermal insulation is a basic property for describing a set of clothing and consists of the thermal resistance of the individual layers of clothing (which depends on the material used and its structure) and also takes into account the air gaps between the layers. Here, the total thermal insulation was measured in a climatic chamber with a thermal manikin. The air gaps were measured using a 3D scanning technique and calculated using the Blender 3D graphics program. Our study shows the effect of size (fit) on the size of the air gaps, as well as the influence of the air gap size on the thermal insulation value (both for static and dynamic conditions with 45 double steps and 45 double arm movements per minute) for workwear. The relationship of the total thermal insulation value on the volume and size of the air gap was described as a second-order polynomial (R2 > 0.8). It was observed that for workwear, thermal insulation did not increase when the air gaps exceeded approximately 30 mm or when the air gap volume reached 50–55 dm3. The highest total thermal insulation (~0.23 m2°C/W) was achieved when the garment closely fitted the wearer’s body (or in this case, the thermal manikin) without excessive tightness.

Medical personnel wearing barrier clothing protecting against infectious agents are at risk of heat stress resulting from limited heat exchange with the environment. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of changing underwear on the thermal parameters of protective clothing sets and on the expected safe working time. The study used a Newton thermal manikin to determine the thermal insulation and water vapor resistance of clothing sets consisting of three types of underwear (standard medical underwear and short and long thermal underwear) worn under two types of barrier suits. The obtained data were used to conduct physiological simulations in the Predicted Heat Strain (PHS) program, estimating the time it takes for core body temperature to rise to 38 °C in conditions of 22 °C and 35 °C. The results showed that replacing medical underwear with thermal underwear at 22 °C extended safe working time by 24%. In hot conditions (35 °C), the positive impact was smaller, extending working time by a maximum of 4%. Changing the inner layer is an effective method of improving comfort and safety in barrier clothing, especially in thermoneutral conditions.

The importance of proper hydration for work performance in hot climates is well known, as opposed to its role in cold climates. Workers’ water requirements may be high in both cold and hot environments, and the effects of dehydration can be a serious problem in either case. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommend that workers drink small amounts (150–250 mL at once) of chilled water (especially in hot environments) or warm beverages (especially in cold environments) every 15–20 min (before they become thirsty) to stay well hydrated. However, individual hydration plans are now more preferred, as no single recommendation is suitable for everyone. Workers should stay hydrated before, during, and after work. The article presents the importance of adequate hydration of workers as well as some recommendations for fluid intake in the workplace.

The article presents simple modeling and experimental verification of the power required for thermal comfort in electrically heated clothing. The clothing consists of a jumpsuit with embedded heating insets, controlled by a dedicated microprocessor system. The user is able to set heating power using a smartphone app. The experiments, conducted in a mobile freezing chamber, aimed at verification of the model of theoretical power (according to ISO 11079) required to maintain thermal comfort in ambient temperatures below 0 °C. Three participants were asked to adjust heating power to reach thermal comfort. The experiment revealed the required power to be only 40–60% of the theoretical one, meaning that the design of the electrically heating clothing relying solely on the theoretical models and standards would lead to oversizing of the heating system power. Further study indicated that the mean skin temperature by itself is not sufficient as an input to the algorithm for automatic maintaining of thermal comfort, even in stationary conditions.

A hot microclimate is one of the hazards that glassworkers may be exposed to. In particular, high ambient temperatures contribute to thermal load. New measures are needed to monitor this parameter in the work environment and to protect workers from related health issues. Within this research study, a new system for monitoring and prevention of thermal load in glassworks is outlined, in alignment with the Industry 5.0 vision, which is focused on humans. It consists of a monitoring part that evaluates thermal load, an actuator part that provides workers with individual cooling through electronically controlled thermoelectric modules, and a communication part for wireless communication between the monitoring and actuator parts. The functionality of the system was evaluated in a controlled environment using a microclimate chamber, a thermal manikin, and a professional wet bulb and globe temperature meter. The tests performed have proven that the system properly reacts to a potential high thermal load by activating the cooling function in the dedicated clothing with integrated thermoelectric modules. The heat flux density from the relevant thermal manikin segment reaches a maximum of 44 W/m2.

Heated clothing is an alternative to passive thermally insulating clothing used so far, made of thick, multi-layered fabric compounds. In this work, a personalized two-layer heated clothing ensemble for mountain rescuers was developed. It consisted of an electrically heated inner suit and an outer suit made of waterproof laminate. Total thermal insulation and local thermal insulations were determined using a thermal manikin. The heating system’s performance was assessed by comparing these results with those obtained with the heating turned off in the same ensemble, as well as with a down jacket added. It was confirmed that a thick thermally insulating layer (down jacket) can be eliminated through the application of electric heating. Heating improved the resultant effective thermal insulation of the clothing ensemble by 52% at a total power of 28.4 W. This exceeded the value obtained with the additional down jacket and no heating by 4%.

Clothing acts as an important barrier for heat and vapor transfer between the human body and the environment. Parameters that could describe that transfer include, inter alia, thermal insulation (the so-called dry heat exchange) and evaporative resistance (the so-called wet heat exchange). Once the above-mentioned parameters are determined, it is possible to consciously adapt clothing ensembles to the existing thermal environment in the workplace. In order to validate the mentioned method of thermal insulation and evaporative resistance measurements, proficiency tests (PTs) were organized. The main goal of the PT was to compare thermal insulation and evaporative resistance for one set of clothing using the Newton-type thermal manikin. In total, four laboratories participated in the PT study. The reference value of the thermal insulation (It) and evaporative resistance (Ret) were calculated as the mean of all the results. The assessment criteria included permissible errors for thermal insulation and evaporative resistance measurements, which were 4% and 10%, respectively. Calculations included, inter alia, z-scores and indicators, such as the inter-laboratory coefficient of variation or the reproducibility limit. The results contribute to the worldwide discussion on standardized studies of evaporative resistance of clothing.

Sleep deprivation (SD) usually impairs psychomotor performance, but most experiments are usually focused on sedentary conditions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of 30 h of complete SD combined with prolonged, moderate exercise (SDE) on human psychomotor performance. Eleven endurance-trained men accustomed to overnight exertion were tested twice: in well-slept and non-fatigued conditions (Control) and immediately after 30 h of SDE. They performed a multiple-choice reaction time test (MCRT) at rest and during each workload of the graded exercise test to volitional exhaustion. At rest, the MCRT was shorter after SDE than in the Control (300 ± 13 ms vs. 339 ± 11 ms, respectively, p < 0.05). During graded exercise, there were no significant differences in MCRT between groups, but the fastest reaction was observed at lower workloads after SDE (158 ± 7 W vs. 187 ± 11 W in Control, p < 0.05). The total number of missed reactions tended to be higher after SDE (8.4 ± 0.7 vs. 6.3 ± 0.8 in Control, p = 0.06). In conclusion, SDE is different from SD alone; however, well-trained men, accustomed to overnight exertion can maintain psychomotor abilities independently of the extent of central fatigue. Exercise can be used to enhance psychomotor performance in sleep-deprived subjects in whom special caution is required in order to avoid overload.

Health status depends on multiple genetic and non-genetic factors. Nonheritable factors (such as lifestyle and environmental factors) have stronger impact on immune responses than genetic factors. Firefighters work is associated with exposure to air pollution and heat stress, as well as: extreme physical effort, mental stress, or a changed circadian rhythm, among others. All these factors can contribute to both, short-term and long-term impairment of the physical and mental health of firefighters. Increased levels of some inflammatory markers, such as pro-inflammatory cytokines or C-reactive protein (CRP) have been observed in firefighters, which can lead to local, acute inflammation that promotes a systemic inflammatory response. It is worth emphasizing that inflammation is one of the main hallmarks of cancer and also plays a key role in the development of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. This article presents possible causes of the development of an inflammatory reaction in firefighters, with particular emphasis on airway inflammation caused by smoke exposure.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of different seasons of the year and the time of day (before work vs. after work) on hydration status in men. The study involved sixty foresters who spent most of the work outdoors. During three seasons of the year (summer, autumn, and winter), indices of hydration status (body mass (BM) and percentage change of BM, total body water (TBW) and percentage change of TBW, serum osmolality (Sosm) and percentage change of Sosm, urine osmolality, urine-specific gravity (USG), urine color, and thirst) were determined before work on the first day (time point 1 used as baseline), immediately after work on the first day (time point 2), and before work on the following day (time point 3). USG decreased at time point 2 compared to time point 1 (p < 0.001) and time point 3 (p = 0.03). At time point 2 (p = 0.002) in winter and time point 3 in autumn (p = 0.049), serum osmolality was higher than in summer. In conclusion, the differences in hydration status depended on the time of day and season. A large percentage of foresters come to work inadequately hydrated, especially in colder seasons compared to summer.