SARiNOR WP4/5. Overlevelse i kaldt klima. Appendix C

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Cognitive Performance During Night Work in the Cold

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate how night work at low ambient temperatures affects cognitive performance (short-term memory and reaction time), skin- and core temperature, thermal comfort, sleepiness, and cortisol. We hypothesized that cognitive performance is reduced at night compared with daytime and worsened when exposed to low ambient temperatures. Method: Eleven male subjects were recruited to perform three tests in a climatic chamber at night and daytime: Night –2°C, Night 23°C and Day 23°C. Each test lasted 6 h. Cognitive performance (short-term memory and reaction time), skin- and core temperature, thermal sensation and comfort, cortisol levels and sleepiness were measured during the tests. Results: A lower mean skin temperature and corresponding lower thermal sensation were observed at Night –2°C compared to Day 23°C and Night 23°C. Night work caused increased sleepiness and lower cortisol levels, but was not affected by changes in ambient temperatures, thermal comfort, or skin temperatures. There was no effect of either day/night work nor ambient temperature on the short-term memory or reaction time test. Conclusion: Lower skin- and core temperature were observed at night when exposed to low ambient temperature (–2°C), but there was no effect on short-term memory or reaction time. Increased sleepiness and lower cortisol levels were observed at night compared to daytime and was not influenced by low ambient temperature at night. The result from this study suggests that cognitive performance (short-term memory and reaction time) is not adversely affected by night work when exposed to low ambient temperatures if adequate protective clothing is worn.publishedVersio

Perceived Causes of Work-Related Sick Leave Among Hospital Nurses in Norway: A Prepandemic Study

Background: Although sick leave is a complex phenomenon, it is believed that there is potential for prevention at the workplace. However, little is known about this potential and what specific measures should be implemented. The purpose of the study was to identify perceived reasons to take work-related sick leave and to suggest preventive measures. The study was completed before the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, and the risk factors identified may have been amplified during the pandemic. Methods: An in-depth cross-sectional survey was conducted across a randomly selected sample of hospital nurses in Norway. The national sample comprised 1,297 nurses who participated in a survey about their sick leave during the previous 6 months. An open-ended question about perceived reasons for work-related sick leave was included to gather qualitative information. Results: Among hospital nurses, 27% of the last occurring sick leave incidents were perceived to be work-related. The most common reasons were high physical workload, high work pace, sleep problems, catching a viral or bacterial infection from patients or colleagues, and low staffing. Conclusions: Over a quarter of the last occurring sick leave incidents among Norwegian hospital nurses are potentially preventable. To retain and optimize scarce hospital nursing resources, strategies to reduce work-related sick leave may provide human and financial benefits. Preventive measures may include careful monitoring of nurses’ workload and pace, optimizing work schedules to reduce the risk of sleep problems, and increasing staffing to prevent stress and work overload.publishedVersio

Heat tolerance during uncompensable heat stress in men and women wearing firefighter personal protective equipment

Firefighters run a risk of heat strain during occupational tasks. The number of female firefighters has been increasing, but research relevant to this group is still scarce. We aimed to investigate whether there are any sex differences in heat tolerance or physiological responses during uncompensable heat stress while wearing firefighter personal protective equipment. Twelve female (28 ± 7 years, 66 ± 5 kg, 51.7 ± 4.7 mL kg−1 min−1) and 12 male (27 ± 7 years, 83 ± 8 kg, 58.8 ± 7.5 mL kg−1 min−1) participants performed walking (maximum of 60 min) at 6W·kg−1, 40 °C, and 14% relative humidity. No differences were observed between groups in heat tolerance, rectal temperature, heart rate, percent body mass loss, thermal sensation, and rate of perceived exertion. Thus, when personnel are selected using gender-neutral physical employment standards, sex is not an independent factor influencing heat tolerance when wearing firefighter personal protective equipment during uncompensable heat stress.publishedVersio

Comparison of three different prehospital wrapping methods for preventing hypothermia - a crossover study in humans

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Accidental hypothermia increases mortality and morbidity in trauma patients. Various methods for insulating and wrapping hypothermic patients are used worldwide. The aim of this study was to compare the thermal insulating effects and comfort of bubble wrap, ambulance blankets / quilts, and Hibler's method, a low-cost method combining a plastic outer layer with an insulating layer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Eight volunteers were dressed in moistened clothing, exposed to a cold and windy environment then wrapped using one of the three different insulation methods in random order on three different days. They were rested quietly on their back for 60 minutes in a cold climatic chamber. Skin temperature, rectal temperature, oxygen consumption were measured, and metabolic heat production was calculated. A questionnaire was used for a subjective evaluation of comfort, thermal sensation, and shivering.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Skin temperature was significantly higher 15 minutes after wrapping using Hibler's method compared with wrapping with ambulance blankets / quilts or bubble wrap. There were no differences in core temperature between the three insulating methods. The subjects reported more shivering, they felt colder, were more uncomfortable, and had an increased heat production when using bubble wrap compared with the other two methods. Hibler's method was the volunteers preferred method for preventing hypothermia. Bubble wrap was the least effective insulating method, and seemed to require significantly higher heat production to compensate for increased heat loss.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study demonstrated that a combination of vapour tight layer and an additional dry insulating layer (Hibler's method) is the most efficient wrapping method to prevent heat loss, as shown by increased skin temperatures, lower metabolic rate and better thermal comfort. This should then be the method of choice when wrapping a wet patient at risk of developing hypothermia in prehospital environments.</p

Impact of protective clothingon thermal and cognitive responses

Current aircrew protective clothing is unable to the address the challenging situation that arises when the same clothing concept needs to provide sufficient thermal protection in water while also ensuring thermal comfort and optimal work performance during flights. Performance, safety and health all suffer when environmental thermal stress factors exceed the body’s ability to compensate for disturbances in heat balance. Wearing protective clothing further increases the thermal stress, which increases the risk of human errors that can have fatal consequences. This thesis addresses the fundamental mechanisms of how interactions among environmental temperature, clothing, work load, and physiological regulatory systems affect the working and emergency responses of helicopter pilots. The first part of this thesis investigated the impact of wearing protective clothing in a working situation on factors such as comfort, physiology and cognitive performance. The second part focuses on immersion in cold water, and in particular on the importance of improving heat balance during exposure to cold water. This thesis has added to our knowledge of the ambient conditions required for thermal comfort and optimal performance in a working situation. In the emergency situation in cold water it also offers new knowledge about how to improve heat balance under extreme environmental conditions when wearing an immersion suit in cold waters. The results of the studies described in this thesis have practical implications for the development of new types of protective clothing that will improve user safety without reducing comfort and work performance

The Use of Wearable Sensor Technology to Detect Shock Impacts in Sports and Occupational Settings: A Scoping Review

Shock impacts during activity may cause damage to the joints, muscles, bones, or inner organs. To define thresholds for tolerable impacts, there is a need for methods that can accurately monitor shock impacts in real-life settings. Therefore, the main aim of this scoping review was to present an overview of existing methods for assessments of shock impacts using wearable sensor technology within two domains: sports and occupational settings. Online databases were used to identify papers published in 2010–2020, from which we selected 34 papers that used wearable sensor technology to measure shock impacts. No studies were found on occupational settings. For the sports domain, accelerometry was the dominant type of wearable sensor technology utilized, interpreting peak acceleration as a proxy for impact. Of the included studies, 28 assessed foot strike in running, head impacts in invasion and team sports, or different forms of jump landings or plyometric movements. The included studies revealed a lack of consensus regarding sensor placement and interpretation of the results. Furthermore, the identified high proportion of validation studies support previous concerns that wearable sensors at present are inadequate as a stand-alone method for valid and accurate data on shock impacts in the field

The Use of Wearable Sensor Technology to Detect Shock Impacts in Sports and Occupational Settings: A Scoping Review

Shock impacts during activity may cause damage to the joints, muscles, bones, or inner organs. To define thresholds for tolerable impacts, there is a need for methods that can accurately monitor shock impacts in real-life settings. Therefore, the main aim of this scoping review was to present an overview of existing methods for assessments of shock impacts using wearable sensor technology within two domains: sports and occupational settings. Online databases were used to identify papers published in 2010–2020, from which we selected 34 papers that used wearable sensor technology to measure shock impacts. No studies were found on occupational settings. For the sports domain, accelerometry was the dominant type of wearable sensor technology utilized, interpreting peak acceleration as a proxy for impact. Of the included studies, 28 assessed foot strike in running, head impacts in invasion and team sports, or different forms of jump landings or plyometric movements. The included studies revealed a lack of consensus regarding sensor placement and interpretation of the results. Furthermore, the identified high proportion of validation studies support previous concerns that wearable sensors at present are inadequate as a stand-alone method for valid and accurate data on shock impacts in the field.publishedVersio

Towards a wearable sensor system for continuous occupational cold stress assessment

This study investigated the usefulness of continuous sensor data for improving occupational cold stress assessment. Eleven volunteer male subjects completed a 90–120-min protocol in cold environments, consisting of rest, moderate and hard work. Biomedical data were measured using a smart jacket with integrated temperature, humidity and activity sensors, in addition to a custom-made sensor belt worn around the chest. Other relevant sensor data were measured using commercially available sensors. The study aimed to improve decision support for workers in cold climates, by taking advantage of the information provided by data from the rapidly growing market of wearable sensors. Important findings were that the subjective thermal sensation did not correspond to the measured absolute skin temperature and that large differences were observed in both metabolic energy production and skin temperatures under identical exposure conditions. Temperature, humidity, activity and heart rate were found to be relevant parameters for cold stress assessment, and the locations of the sensors in the prototype jacket were adequate. The study reveals the need for cold stress assessment and indicates that a generalised approached is not sufficient to assess the stress on an individual levelpublishedVersio