Personal protective clothing (PPC) is critical for worker safety and wellbeing from both protection and thermal management perspectives, particularly as PPC typically covers more than 90% of the ...body. Research of PPC in low-risk categories such as mining, oil, gas, and construction and their thermal management attributes is limited, although these industries represent a significant proportion of the industrial workforce, work across a broad range of major industries, and frequently work in hot and/or humid thermal environments. This study evaluated and characterized the thermal management attributes of a selection of commercial low-level risk PPC ensembles currently used around the world as well as a civilian/corporate wear ensemble, using a sweating thermal manikin. The results demonstrate that there are substantially poorer thermal attributes for the PPC ensembles. Predicted Heat Strain Index (PHS) results for hot conditions reveal significantly lower duration limited exposure (DLE) and considerably greater body water loss for the wearers of PPC. Opportunities to substantially reduce PPC material mass and improve construction for these low-level risk categories in order to enhance thermal management performance are identified. Relationships between the thermal attributes of PPC and civilian clothing, and their garment construction, fit, and material characteristics are identified, providing new and important knowledge for current performance and direction for development of new improved PPC. This study provides researchers, developers, and garment designers with valuable insights for future improvement of PPC to create improved PPC for industrial workwear worn in hot environments.
This article investigates why it took over 20 years of trade union struggle before workers in Swedish elder care were granted the right to free workwear. How did the Swedish Municipal Workers’ Union ...(Kommunal) tackle the problem; what obstacles did the union face; and why was the matter finally regulated by the state (in 2015 and 2018) and not by collective agreement in line with the Swedish model of self-regulation? The study draws mainly on an analysis of important court cases. The results indicate that the process was protracted mainly because of the unclear legal basis for pursuing demands concerning workwear, municipalities’ (local authorities’) opposition to a general obligation to provide workwear, mainly for financial reasons, and the fact that the issue was deadlocked between the remits of two government authorities, representing patient safety and work safety respectively. The main reason why the union eventually preferred to fight for a legislative solution was that a negotiated solution would probably have come at the expense of other urgent union demands in this female-dominated low-wage sector. When Kommunal intensified the struggle for free workwear in the 2010s, the union also stepped up its struggle against the structural gender differences in wages in the municipal sector.
The construction industry currently faces two major issues. One is the steady retirement of older workers, and the other is the inability to recruit a sufficient number of young workers. One of the ...reasons behind these problems is the physical demands of construction work. If we could lessen these physical demands, we should be able to resolve these issues to a degree. In this study, we focused our attention on the clothing worn by construction workers. We propose the sewing of elastic materials into workwear, such that it causes tension in the direction in which the worker’s muscles contract. This tension will aid the movement of the construction worker. We obtained electromyogram measurements during actual construction work to determine the degree of physical fatigue and evaluate the degree of assistance provided by the workwear. We used three different types of workwear in three experiments: an X-1 type to investigate the reinforcement layout, an X-2 type in a wall-painting experiment, and a T-type in a floor-painting experiment. Based on the results, we were able to confirm that the assistive function of the workwear assisted the motion of the deltoid muscles in the reinforcement-layout and wall-painting experiments.
Background: The work is about “Development of workwear for sewage cleaners.” Antibacterial and water repellent finish has been applied to the cotton woven fabric to be developed into a workwear for ...sewage cleaners. Materials and Methods: The Aloe vera (150 gpl, 75 gpl, and 50 gpl) has been applied to the fabric imparting antibacterial activity by the pad-dry-cure method. The A. vera treated fabric was then imparted with water repellence using fluorocarbon (80 gpl and 50 gpl) using the pad-dry-cure method. Results and Discussion: The effectiveness of antibacterial, water-repellent finish for various concentrations were tested. The tests include comfort and chemical property to ensure the performance properties of the textile fabric. The basic test done here is antibacterial, water repellent, wettability, wickability, air permeability, and water permeability. Conclusion: The research shows that the wettability and wickability decrease in the coated fabric as the concentration increases. Moreover, the antimicrobial activity of the cotton fabric against Escherichia coli is restricted after it has been treated with A. vera. Thus, it is inferred that work wear treated with A. vera and fluorocarbon provide better hygiene to the sewage cleaners.
By analyzing the temperature changes of the three-layer high-temperature clothing and the air layer of the fourth layer, according to the calculation of the temperature distribution of the ...high-temperature clothing, the temperature changes of the high-temperature clothing are related to the heat, ignoring the heat transfer of heat radiation in the clothing and the internal heat sources between the layers, defining three variables of time, temperature and thickness, according to the law of conservation of energy and Fourier's law of heat transfer. The law obtains the heat conduction equation. The forward difference method in the finite difference method is used to solve the equation, and the numerical model is obtained. Then, the relationship diagrams of temperature, time and thickness are drawn. The experimental results show that the heat absorbed by the outside is consumed layer by layer in the process of heat transfer, and finally the air layer contacted with human body tends to 48 C. Finally, according to the formula Q = cm Delta U of heat absorption in physics, further analysis is carried out, and the optimal thickness of Layer II and Layer IV is obtained by using the optimization algorithm.
Although the use of cooling garments to prevent heat disorders has been increasing, the effectiveness of such garments at construction sites (CSs) remains underexplored. We investigated the ...relationship between the thermal environment at a CS and the physiological and psychological responses of workers wearing/not wearing ventilated work wear (VWW). The study participants were rebar placers and form workers employed at an outdoor CS. The thermal environmental conditions and the physiological and psychological responses of the workers were measured. The overall, chest, and forearm skin temperatures of the workers not wearing VWW were significantly higher than those of workers wearing VWW. To clarify the effects of VWW and working schedules on body weight loss (BWL), the BWL rate was simulated based on the evaporation rate according to a regression formula of measured data in an artificial chamber. The BWL during the late shift was higher than that in the early shift, causing dehydration in the afternoon. To prevent this condition, more water intake is required during the late shift.
The authors investigated the relationship between the thermal environment at a construction site and the physiological and psychological responses of rebar placers/form workers wearing/not wearing ventilated work wear (VWW). The overall, chest, and forearm skin temperatures of the workers not wearing VWW were significantly higher than those of workers wearing VWW. Increased body weight loss during the late shift compared with the early shift caused dehydration in the afternoon.
► Antimicrobial finishing of cotton textiles using silver salt and UV light is shown. ► Samples act against E. coli, B. subtilis and S. aureus. ► Inhibition of bacteria's proliferation increase after ...multiple washes of samples. ► Samples are resistant to 50 washes.
In this study, we present facile antimicrobial finishing of cotton textiles. Screen printing was used for surface-finishing of cotton using a printing paste containing silver nitrate. UVC irradiation was applied to convert silver nitrate into a color product, thus also changing the color of the textiles. The color, its strength and stability of samples, depend on absorbed UVC energy and the formula of the printing paste. Scanning electron microscopy with the energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry revealed formation of silver particles on cotton threads; X-ray diffraction analysis and the time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry did not provide clear information on these products. Microbiological studies revealed that the samples inhibited proliferation of Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. Washing fastness tests confirmed resistance of the samples to at least 50 washings. Additionally, the inhibition zones increased as the number of washing cycles increased, which is unique for such samples. This work also presents an approach to the design of antimicrobially finished workwear.
This study collected fundamental data on the current status of construction workers’ clothes in South Korea, and categorized it based on construction site environment and job position. The study was ...conducted via a survey of 102 construction workers comprising both managers and laborers. In addition, a detailed interview-based questionnaire was used to ask three workers at the construction site to adopt working postures and identify the most uncomfortable parts of their workwear. Construction working environments are influenced by seasonal changes and have been recognized as places where dangerous hazards may occur. Workers in the construction industry felt that their faces were the hottest parts of their bodies in summer and their hands were the coldest in winter. With respect to the clothing worn for work, the results showed that most managers wore company-supplied workwear but laborers did not. When personally purchasing workwear, managers bought items at outdoor shops, whereas laborers purchased theirs at local markets. Both laborers and managers indicated a need for new workwear designs with a greater emphasis on function. In the in-depth interviews, the respondents noted that they felt discomfort from the clothing in their backs, upper arms, thighs, knees, and hips as a result of their primary work postures. Furthermore, they noted the need for pockets of appropriate size and position according to their work. The functional requirements demanded from construction workwear were classified based on the study’s results.
The suitability, availability, and use of protective clothing are critical factors determining the actual dermal exposure (ADE) of operators and workers to pesticides. A realistic assessment of ...occupational exposure to pesticides requires information about the performance of protective clothing during everyday use. In this study, the performance of clothing or gloves has been investigated based on available dermal exposure data in order to provide recommendations for default protection factors that can be used in regulatory exposure assessments. Suitable dermal exposure data from available exposure databases were collated and analysed. The data that met the selection criteria for the analysis of the performance of protective clothing comprised studies in which protective clothing like cotton coveralls, cotton clothing, polyester-cotton coveralls, Sontara coveralls, Tyvek coveralls, butyl/neoprene gloves, latex/PE/vinyl/PVC gloves, or nitrile gloves were worn. Based on available potential and ADE levels, the migration of pesticides through this protective clothing was estimated. Evaluation of exposure data showed that on average only 2.3-2.6% of the pesticides present on the outside of the clothing or gloves migrated through the garments, although there was a large variation with migration up to 99%. Forearms, legs, and chest areas of the clothing tended to have the greatest migration of pesticides. Caution is needed in the selection of the appropriate protection offered protective clothing for specific situations. This study gives valuable information on the performance of protective clothing, for use in exposure assessment and for default setting in exposure modelling, taking into account the type of clothing or gloves worn. As new data become available, it may be possible to further refine the protection factors offered by different types of clothing or gloves, particularly where a common protocol has been used.
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