Subjective perceptions and ergonomics evaluation of a liquid cooled garment worn under protective ensemble during an intermittent treadmill exercise

Abstract

While a personal protective equipment (PPE) ensemble effectively provides workers with protection from occupational hazards, working in a vapour-resistant ensemble increases the risk of heat illness/injuries and physiological burdens. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of body cooling via a liquid-cooled garment (LCG) underneath a PPE ensemble on perceived thermal strain, physiological responses and ergonomics during an intermittent treadmill exercise in warm environmental conditions. The results of the present study indicated that the concomitant wearing of LCG underneath the PPE ensemble significantly reduced subjective perception of heat and alleviated overall increase in body temperature and heart rate while no impact of wearing LCG on ergonomic features was found. The extension of the present findings to practical applications in occupational settings requires further research on a LCG system design and performance evaluations while the LCG is incorporated within the PPE ensemble.

Statement of Relevance: Implementation of a LCG underneath PPE for body cooling was investigated, focusing on its impact on individuals' perceived thermal strain, physiological responses and ergonomics. The findings of the present study indicated that body cooling via a wearable LCG underneath PPE significantly alleviated both perceived thermal and physiological strain in uncompensable heat stress condition.

Keywords:

• ergonomics
• liquid-cooled garment
• protective ensemble
• subjective perceptions

Acknowledgements

The present research was performed while Dr Jung-Hyun Kim and Dr Aitor Coca held National Research Council Resident Research Associateship positions at the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The authors would like to express their appreciation to all the subjects who participated in this study and would also like to thank William Haskell, Dr Gloria Leon and Dr Joel Haight for their excellent suggestions and careful review of this manuscript.

Disclaimer

The findings and conclusions in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of NPPTL or NIOSH/CDC. Mention of commercial products or trade names does not constitute endorsement by NPPTL or NIOSH/CDC. The authors do not have any conflict of interests in the present research.