For real-time assessment of the health and safety of workers under high thermal stress conditions, portable equipment is not normally equipped with all the features required for permanent long-term monitoring. LSI LASTEM offers systems suitable for large industrial plants where it is necessary to permanently monitor the conditions of instantaneous thermal stress in a large number of workstations.
Real-time thermal monitoring for workers’ health
Heat stress: not to be underestimated in the workplace
Heat stress negatively affects worker productivity and can lead to accidents, illness and even death. Prolonged exposure to high temperatures causes loss of fluids, muscle cramps, shock or heat stroke; increases human error, reduces mental and physical activity.
The importance of monitoring
To overcome this problem, a mechanical company in central Italy monitors, thanks to 8 fixed LSI LASTEM microclimatic stations, the thermal stress in its production departments, during hot periods, through the continuous measurement of the main environmental parameters (temperature of the air, humid air temperature with natural ventilation, humid air temperature with forced ventilation, average radiant temperature, air speed and air turbulence index) and by calculating the WBGT index (Wet Bulbe Globe Temperature) .
The WBGT calculation for the health of workers
The WBGT index (ISO7243 standard) is one of the best known and widely used in the evaluation of thermal stress. It contains important environmental factors such as dry bulb temperature, wet bulb temperature and radiant temperature. In calculating this index, factors such as clothing, metabolism level and acclimatization are used.
The maintenance service to ensure the accuracy of the measurements over the years
In order to best ensure the efficiency and accuracy of the measurement system in the production departments, periodic preventive maintenance is planned, conducted by LSI LASTEM specialized technicians. The interventions concern, among other things, the cleaning of the sensors, exposed to harsh conditions, the control of the wiring and the comparison of the measurements between a certified microclimatic station and the one installed at the customer.