EFFECT OF VENTILATED WORK WEAR AND WORKING SCHEDULE ON PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF CONSTRUCTION WORKERS

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  • ファン付き作業服と作業時間帯が建設作業員の生理・心理反応に及ぼす影響
  • ファン付き作業服と作業時間帯が建設作業員の生理・心理反応に及ぼす影響 : 建設現場における実態調査(その2)
  • ファン ツキ サギョウフク ト サギョウ ジカンタイ ガ ケンセツ サギョウイン ノ セイリ ・ シンリ ハンノウ ニ オヨボス エイキョウ : ケンセツ ゲンバ ニ オケル ジッタイ チョウサ(ソノ 2)
  • Effect of ventilated workwear and working schedule on physiological and psychological responses of construction workers, no. 2: Actual investigation at an active construction site
  • 建設現場における実態調査 その２
  • No. 2 Actual investigation at active construction sites

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 To verify the effects of wearing ventilated work wear (VWW) on the physiological and psychological responses of construction workers (CWs), measurements were carried out on workers at an eight-story building in an RC construction in Tokyo from August 3–8, 2017. Air temperature, relative humidity, air velocity, and black and white globe temperatures were measured on the ground floor, while air temperature, relative humidity, air velocity, and solar radiation were measured on sixth floor. The heights of the thermo-hygrometer, anemometer, and globe thermometer were about 1.5, 2.0, and 1.0m off the ground, respectively. The study participants were four male form workers and three male rebar placers ranging in age from their 20s to 60s. Their work is basically carried out from 08:00 to 17:00 and is divided into four shifts split up by breaks as follows: AM1: 8:00 to 10:00; AM2: 10:30 to 12:00; PM1: 13:00 to 15:00; and PM2: 15:30 to 17:00. The heart rate (HR) and skin temperatures for the chest, forearm, thigh, and lower leg were continuously measured, and sublingual temperature, body weight, water intake, and psychological responses, such as hotness, comfort, and thirst, were measured before and after each working hour. We defined the evaporation rate (ER) as the sum of the difference in body weight while fully clothed between before and after work and the amount of water intake (WI) per unit time and body surface area. The rate of body weight loss (BWL), defined as the sum of the sweat and evaporation rates by skin diffusion, at the construction site (CS) was simulated according to a regression formula between the ER and BWL obtained from an experiment involving humans in an artificial chamber (AC). We evaluated the effect of wearing/not wearing VWW and working schedule on physiological responses. Air temperature was below and above 30°C until August 4 and after August 5, respectively. The mean overall and both chest and forearm skin temperatures were significantly higher in the workers not wearing VWW compared with those who were wearing VWW. In the AC experiment, no significant differences were observed in forearm skin temperature between workers wearing/not wearing VWW. The lower forearm skin temperature observed among workers at the CS was likely the result of the VWW preventing solar radiation from being absorbed on the skin surface. The HR (101.6bpm) of workers not wearing VWW was significantly higher than that of workers wearing VWW (92.8bpm). No significant differences were observed in the ER or WI between the two groups. On the other hand, BWL (445.6g/(h·m2)) among workers not wearing VWW was significantly higher than that among workers wearing VWW (332.0g/(h·m2)). In addition, wearing VWW at the CS alleviated discomfort. These results suggest that VWW helps prevent dehydration during work because the lower mean skin temperatures resulting from wearing VWW suppress BWL. The mean skin temperatures in the PM1 (34.05°C) and PM2 (33.91°C) were significantly higher than those in the AM1 (33.30°C). The HR of the PM workers was slightly higher than that of the AM workers; however, this difference was not significant. The activity level (2.34METs) in the PM2 was about 5% higher than that in the AM and PM1. The ER (315.2g/(h·m2)) in the PM2 was significantly higher than that in the AM1 (256.8g/(h·m2)) and AM2 (242.5g/(h·m2)). In addition, BWL in the PM2 (435.0g/(h·m2)) was significantly higher than that in the AM1 (355.5g/(h·m2)) and AM2 (347.6g/(h·m2)). Since the thermal environment deteriorates and activity levels slightly increase in the afternoon, CWs in the PM2 may be at a higher risk of dehydration; therefore, to help prevent dehydration, CWs in the PM2 should have a reduced workload.

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