Personal Protection for Heat
Exposure
Personal Protection for Heat
Exposure
We all agree Engineering controls
are the most desirable method of controlling heat exposure. Personal protective
equipment (PPE) should be used as an short-term measure while engineering
controls are being explored.
Eye protection
Eye protection that absorbs
infrared radiation (heat rays), need to be provided for employees when working
near very hot objects, such as molten metals and red-hot objects. Hot work like
welding and gas cutting activity also required effective eye protection.
Clothing
The work wear to be used by employees
should be in consideration for the heat exposure. Ordinary clothing provides
some protection from heat radiated by surrounding hot surfaces. Light clothing
allows maximum skin exposure and efficient body cooling by sweat evaporation.
Cotton clothing is cooler than polyester
clothing. However, cotton will absorb water and wet clothing tends to be
uncomfortable.
When selecting clothing, heat stress
prevention should be balanced with other health and
safety risks. For example, for outdoor
workers, a balance must be achieved between heat stress prevention and the
ultraviolet exposure.
Protective clothing
The selection of protective clothing
depends on the specific job activities. Working in certain hot environments may
require insulated gloves, insulated suits, reflective clothing,
infrared-reflecting face shields and safety footwear (e.g., foundry boots,
welder's boots).
For extremely hot conditions,
thermally conditioned clothing is available. Examples of such protective clothing
are:
Part 2 ADNOC & GULF HSE Interview Questions & Answer
• A compressed air source which feeds
cool air into the jacket or coveralls through a vortex tube.
• A jacket which has pockets that can
be filled with containers of ice.
Ensure the availability of such safety
equipment regarding the types of personal protective equipment available and
the degree of protection such clothing is expected to provide.
In a high radiant heat situation,
people generally use reflective clothing. However, this advantage may be nullified
if the clothes interfere with the sweat evaporation. For very hot environments
air, water or ice-cooled insulated clothing may be used.
HAZARDOUS AREA CLASSIFICATION PART 4
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