Evaluation of thermal overload in boiler operators

• Published in: Work (Reading, Mass.) Vol. 41 Suppl 1; p. 470
• Main Authors: Braga, Camila Soares, Rodrigues, Valéria Antônia Justino, Campos, Julio César Costa, de Souza, Amaury Paulo, Minette, Luciano José, de Moraes, Angêlo Casali, Sensato, Guilherme Luciano
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands 2012
• Subjects: Body Temperature Regulation; Brazil; Heating; Hot Temperature - adverse effects; Humans; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Power Plants; Surveys and Questionnaires; Task Performance and Analysis; Thermography - instrumentation; Thermography - methods; Wood; Brazil
• ISSN: 1875-9270
• DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0198-470

The Brazilians educational institutions need a large energy demand for the operation of laundries, restaurants and accommodation of students. Much of that energy comes from steam generated in boilers with wood fuel. The laboral activity in boiler may present problems for the operator's health due to exposure to excessive heat, and its operation has a high degree of risk. This paper describes an analysis made the conditions of thermal environment in the operation of a B category boiler, located at a Higher Education Institution, located in the Zona da Mata Mineira The equipments used to collect data were Meter WBGT of the Heat Index; Meter of Wet Bulb Index and Globe Thermometer (WBGT); Politeste Instruments, an anemometer and an Infrared Thermometer. By the application of questionnaires, the second phase consisted of collecting data on environmental factors (temperature natural environment, globe temperature, relative humidity and air velocity). The study concluded that during the period evaluated, the activity had thermal overload.