Slope effect on pushing forces.

In some occupations pushing forces are frequent when performed on horizontal ground and are standardized (ISO 2002). In special cases employees are obliged to grow container on slopes and the strains are poorly investigated. The objective of this work is to measure forces required to push garbage container on horizontal and inclined at 0, 4, 11 and 16 % grounds. Sudden and significant increases in heart rate reflect the possible risk of heart overload in long displacements. This study proposes realistic limits and provides a simple and protective tool for a group of employees without distinction of age or gender. These limits can even be reduced to a quasi-linear model where push 200 kg is the maximum for 0% slope and 60 kg for 10% slope.

Comparison of physiological and subjective strains of two protective coveralls in two short physically simulated demanding tasks.

A total of 15 physically active male students carried out a normalised task (T(N)) and a task of access by ladder and scaffolding (T(L)) in two impermeable protective coveralls and a reference sports wear to compare the physiological and subjective strains. Heart rate (HR) was recorded and sweat loss was checked. Subjective evaluations of comfort parameters, acceptable exposure durations and physical exhaustion were recorded at the end of the tasks. Results show that both protective clothing, compared to the sport wear, increase significantly HR, RPE and CR10 in both tasks. However the strains of both protective clothing are not significantly different except in sweat loss and cumbersomeness.

Comparison of physiological and subjective strain in workers wearing two different protective coveralls for asbestos abatement tasks.

The aim of this study was to compare the physiological and subjective strain in workers wearing a disposable "Tyvek" (TYV) and a ventilated "Mururoa" (MUR) coverall in a real working situation. Eleven men performing normal abatement tasks volunteered to participate. Physiological measurements included oral temperature, heart rate and sweat loss. Subjective evaluations of clothing comfort, cooling, robustness, cumbersomness, acceptable exposure duration and physical exertion were carried out at the end of the task. The ventilated MUR reduced heat strain. Indeed, it allowed significantly higher sweat loss than TYV and showed a tendency to reduce the increase in oral temperature. Subjective ratings reveal that MUR was considered better than TYV in terms of clothing comfort, coolness and robustness. On the other hand, MUR is more cumbersome to wear. In this study, where workload and heat stress were moderate, there were few differences between the two coveralls in terms of physiological strains, but far more significant differences in the subjective ratings.