ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the impact of the parameters on the individual, and outlines assessment protocols and guidelines for the management. Workers in hot environments, around furnaces, smelters, boilers or out in the sun, can be subjected to considerable thermal stress. The thermal work limit (TWL) was developed in the underground mining industry in Australia by Brake and Bates. TWL is defined as the limiting sustainable metabolic rate that hydrated, acclimatised individuals can maintain in a specific thermal environment, within a safe deep body core temperature and sweat rate. Local injuries are generally the most common forms of cold injuries. The involve the impact of low temperatures on tissue in the exposed extremities. Localised effects include frostbite and chilblains, which result when insufficient blood reaches the extremities and the fluids around cells freeze. Generalised effects of exposure to severe cold include uncontrollable shivering accompanied by slowing heart rate and a decrease in blood pressure.
