Assessment of cold stress in terms of required clothing insulation—IREQ

A heat exchange model has been developed, by which the thermal stress associated with work in cold environments can be evaluated. Based on measurements of air temperature, mean radiant temperature, humidity and air velocity and measurements or estimates of activity level (energy metabolism) the model calculates a clothing insulation (IREQ) required to maintain body heat balance. IREQ may be regarded as an index of cold stress, and the value for IREQ specifies the insulation to be provided by clothing under given conditions, in addition to the insulation of the boundary air layer. IREQ, hence, may serve as a guideline for selection of appropriate clothing in cold environments. Basic insulation values of clothing (IcI) measured with thermal manikins can be used for this purpose, but need to be corrected to account for the effect of body motion, posture, wind penetration and moisture absorption before a comparison is made with IREQ.

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