ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the body's mechanism for regulating heat, thermoregulation; health effects from exposure to extremes of heat; and environmental and physiological methods for assessing the risk of heat-induced illness. It also describes a variety of controls that can be adopted in most workplaces. Radiation is the process by which the body gains heat from surrounding hot objects and loses heat to cold objects without actually touching them. Some sources of radiant heat include the sun, a fire or boiler. Heat cramps are often the first indicator of a heat-related problem. Symptoms are sharp and painful spasms in the muscles that are being stressed. Heat syncope is caused by the loss of body fluids through sweating and by lowered blood pressure due to pooling of blood in the legs while working in a standing position. Assessment of heat stress can be conducted by measuring its effect on the human body using physiological monitoring.
