Heat stress of helicopter aircrew wearing immersion suit

Occupational Health Challenges for Aviation Workers Amid the Changing Climate: A Narrative Review

Although there are many forecasts regarding the impact of climate change on the aviation sector, a critical but frequently neglected dimension is the occupational safety risks faced by aviation professionals. This narrative review explores the potential impacts of the changing climate on the health and safety of aviation personnel. Furthermore, we examine the significance of resilience in helping these workers adapt and effectively manage climate-related challenges in their professional lives. Climate change poses increasing threats to the well-being of flight personnel through elevated temperatures, heightened ultraviolet radiation exposure, increased mental workload from extreme weather events, and other psychological stressors. Building resilience through workforce training, planning, and adaptation can reduce vulnerability. In future research, the iterative process of selecting measurement components to gauge the impact of climate change should balance feasibility, relevance for stakeholders, and accurately capturing exposure effects. For instance, while salivary cortisol measures stress biologically, assessments of depression or burnout may provide more nuanced insights on pilot health for industry decision-makers managing climate impacts. In conclusion, a strategic emphasis on enhancing the physical and psychological well-being of the aviation workforce is imperative for facilitating a more efficient adaptation within the sector. This is of paramount importance, considering the critical function that aviation serves in fostering human connectivity. Consequently, it is essential for regulatory bodies and policymakers to prioritize the safeguarding of employee health in the face of climate change challenges.

Heat Strain with Two Different Ventilation Vests During a Simulated 3-Hour Helicopter Desert Mission

BACKGROUND: The study investigated the heat strain of personnel operating in the rear cabin of a helicopter during desert-climate missions, and to what extent the strain can be mitigated by use of battery-driven ventilation vests.METHODS: Eight men undertook 3-h simulated flight missions in desert conditions (45C, 10% humidity, solar radiation). Each subject participated in three conditions wearing helicopter flight equipment, including body armor, and either: a ventilation vest with a 3-dimensional mesh (Vent-1), a ventilation vest with a foam sheet incorporating channels to direct the air flow (Vent-2), or a T-shirt (NoVent); each mission comprised a 10-min walk, followed by sitting for 30 min, kneeling on a vibration platform for 2 h, and finally 30 min of sitting. Core temperature, heart rate, skin temperatures and heat flux, oxygen uptake, sweating rate, and subjective ratings were recorded. Evaporative capacity and thermal resistance of the garments were determined using a thermal manikin.RESULTS: All subjects completed the NoVent and Vent-1 conditions, whereas in the Vent-2 condition, one subject finished prematurely due to heat exhaustion. The increase in core temperature was significantly (P 0.01) greater in Novent (0.93C) and Vent-2 (0.88C) than in Vent-1 (0.61C). Evaporative capacity was significantly higher for Vent-1 (7.8 g min¹) than for NoVent (4.1 g min¹) and Vent-2 (4.4 g min¹).DISCUSSION: Helicopter personnel may be at risk of heat exhaustion during desert missions. The risk can be reduced by use of a ventilation vest. However, the cooling efficacy of ventilation vests differs substantially depending on their design and ventilation concept.Grönkvist M, Mekjavic I, Ciuha U, Eiken O. Heat strain with two different ventilation vests during a simulated 3-hour helicopter desert mission. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2021; 92(4):248256.

A new look at survival times during cold water immersion

This paper presents an expanded dataset for survival times during cold water immersion. In 1946, the first set of human data for cold water survival was derived from the US Navy medical reports during WWII. Although this is the largest and most widely used data source, it has only 23 data points and immersion times are less than 5.5 h for water temperature below 20 °C. For the new dataset, data (i.e., immersion times, water temperatures, clothing worn, and in some cases, body masses, heights, and survival times for the deaths witnessed by survivors) was retrieved from 12 well-documented incidents of accidental immersions which involved 22 survivors and 21 deaths. These data were combined with the 1946 dataset to create the expanded dataset which included 122 data points. Analysis of the dataset revealed critical details pertinent to cold water survival: 1) immersion times, up to 75 h, at water temperatures below 20 °C, were longer than most immersion times documented in the 1946 dataset; 2) thermal protection (wetsuit or drysuit), high body mass, and partial immersion may significantly impact survival during immersion in cold water; 3) twenty-one actual survival times until witnessed death are added. A maximal survival time curve was derived to represent the survival limit which many victims are unlikely to approach and few can exceed except under unique circumstances.

Physiological strain of stock car drivers during competitive racing

Heat strain experienced by motorsport athletes competing in National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing (NASCAR) may be significant enough to impair performance or even result in a life-threatening accident. There is a need to carefully quantify heat strain during actual NASCAR race competitions in order to faithfully represent the magnitude of the problem and conceptualize future mitigation practices. The purpose of this investigation was to quantify the thermoregulatory and physiological strain associated with competitive stock car driving. Eight male stock car drivers (29.0±10.0yr; 176.2±3.3cm, 80.6±15.7kg) participated in sanctioned stock car races. Physiological measurements included intestinal core (Tc) and skin (Tsk) temperatures, heart rate (HR), blood pressure, and body mass before and after completion of the race. Pre-race Tc was 38.1±0.1°C which increased to 38.6±0.2°C post-race (p=0.001). Tsk increased from 36.1±0.2°C pre-race to 37.3±0.3°C post-race (p=0.001) whereas the core-to-skin temperature gradient decreased from a pre-race value of 2.0±0.3°C to 1.3±0.3°C post-race (p=0.005). HRs post-race were 80±0.1% of the drivers' age-predicted maximum HR. Physiological Strain Index (PSI) post-race was 4.9, which indicates moderate strain. Drivers' thermal sensation based on the ASHRAE Scale increased from 1.3±0.5 to 2.8±0.4, and their perception of exertion (RPE) responses also increased from 8.4±1.6 to 13.9±1.8 after competition. Heat strain associated with competitive stock car racing is significant. These findings suggest the need for heat mitigation practices and provide evidence that motorsport should consider strategies to become heat acclimatized to better meet the thermoregulatory and cardiovascular challenges of motorsport competition.

Mental stress in the workers exposed to humidity in a cheese processing factory

Certain inevitable physical factors in working environment can damage the workers in related fields. Sea sickness and white finger due to ship movement and vibration respectively are two examples in this regard. Humidity in working area can also bring discomfort of the workers in humid area. Cheese processing factories are such places where there is high humidity in the working space.Mental stress is a psychological complication which can arise due to some physical factors in certain occupational activities, therefore an attempt was made to have a search on mental stress in the laborers working in a cheese factory in Orumieheh, a city in north of Iran, with a cold climate throughout the year.For the purpose of the present study, a cheese processing factory with 100 workers was selected. The workers were divided in to two groups. One group was exposed to high humidity and the other exposed to normal humidity level. A standard questionnaire was given to two groups to check the mental stress.The results obtained from both groups were compared.. The result showed severe mental stress in workers exposed to high humidity whereas moderate stress level in other workers.The conclusion of the present work is a proof of the adverse effect of humidity in working environments which reflect in mental stress in workers which will be discussed in detail in full paper.