Stress comes in many forms, yet we often don’t appreciate the stress the environment and temperature can cause in our bodies. In Australia, heat stress is a key issue facing workers.
When a person is exposed to a high-heat environment for an extended period without the proper cooling mechanisms, they experience heat stress. This leads to changes in electrolyte levels, dehydration and a raised core temperature, which can cause heat rash, heat cramps, dizziness and fainting, heat exhaustion and in the worst-case scenario, heat stroke – a condition that can be fatal.
Not only does heat stress wreak havoc on employee health but it can also lose businesses a lot of time and money. In Australia, in one year, the cost of productivity loss due to climate-related heat stress was an estimated $6 billion dollars, with workers losing over 67,500 potential work hours.
While we can’t always control the working environment, it’s essential that employers take all possible measures to protect their employees. Workers exposed to temperatures of 30°C of heat and or humidity must have a heat stress management plan. One contributor that exacerbates heat stress is wearing clothing, footwear and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) with limited breathability, which is why it is so important to invest in fit-for-purpose PPE.
“In some cases, wearing clothing, footwear and PPE with inadequate breathability may increase workers heat stress risks, greater than the protection the PPE provides. Footwear has the greatest impact on physiological demand compared to other workwear and PPE, due to the weight and rigidity increasing muscle activity and therefore heat production,” says Dr Caleb Wegener, Director of Product Management, uvex Safety.
“uvex research and development teams have used scientific data on human heat generation, dissipation, and material science to try and improve heat stress outcomes for workers.”
The innovative uvex climazone is a wholistic product system that uses a combinations of product design elements, high breathability and moisture wicking materials to optimise breathability and airflow within their PPE.
The uvex x-flow work boots have been specifically designed for the hot Australian work climates. The uvex x-flow footwear is designed based on the anatomical sweat profiles of the foot and ankle to maximise moisture transfer. The uvex x-flow materials and manufacturing techniques maximises internal airflow and footwear breathability to help keep workers cool. The uvex climazone technologies result in the uvex x-flow footwear being 15% more breathable in laboratory testing which translates to a 38% improvement in perceived breathability compared to the workers existing footwear in hot climates.
The uvex Bamboo TwinFlex® cut protection glove range includes natural bamboo fibres that have exceptional moisture absorption properties compared to typical synthetic materials used in cut resistant gloves. The blend of fibres and weave characteristics help assist in moisture management in hot working environments. The uvex Bamboo TwinFlex® gloves provide a comfortable, breathable and high levels of moisture absorption with level D cut-resistance making them suitable for hot work environments.
Equipping your team with the right PPE will ensure they stay as safe, comfortable, productive as possible on the job site, and will give you one less thing to stress about.
.jpg?width=1200&length=1200&name=02976993%20(1).jpg)
.jpg?width=1200&length=1200&name=02976789%20(1).jpg)
.jpg?width=1200&length=1200&name=02976619%20(2).jpg)
