Research On Construction Site Working Clothes Through Material Improvement

Since most construction sites are outdoors,and as they still depend on human physical labor,construction workers have been working with less efficiency,as well as within the danger of the occurrence of heat related deceases,especially in summer.However,working clothes have not been considered as one of the keys to alleviate heat stress.Thus,this study is aimed to suggest an efficient material of working clothes to reduce the heat that workers must endure,while at the same time,increase the productivity and safety.Aimed at this objective,a survey was made,revised and given to construction workers in order to understand their attitudes towards their current working clothes.The questionnaires consisted of general questions,questions related to the work of the participant,questions related to wearing working clothes and additional questions to ask for supplementary opinions.The results showed that workers sought: better sweat absorption,better ventilation,and lighter weight material compared to their current working clothes.The material improved working clothes were made with materials based on the workers’ assessments.The evaluation for the material improved working clothes was performed through an experiment including 3 minutes of warm-up by walking at a speed of 4km/h,and a 20-minute running period at a speed of 7.8km/h.After running,a 10-minute resting period was provided and the entire set was repeated one more time the next day.During the experiment,the differences within skin temperature,body temperature,perspiration,heat rate and heat storage was examined.Skin temperature and body temperature was measured through a thermometer and was also double-checked with the Hesvit S2 smart band.Perspiration was calculated by the difference of weight before and after each set of the exercise.Heart rate was continuously measured during the running period by the Xiaomi Mi-Band being worn on the left wrist and Hesvit S2 on the right wrist.Body temperature was measured from the point directly after the running period until the end of the resting period,and the changes of body temperature was analyzed to perceive heat storage.A quick survey was given to the participants after the experiment in an attempt to understand the subjective sensation.It was found during the experiment that the improved material caused less perspiration.Also,skin and body temperatures with the material improved working clothes was better suited to lower temperatures.Furthermore,it was seen that after the exercise,the material improved working clothes released heat faster than the existing working clothes.The results showed that the material improved working clothes are efficient for reducing heat stress.However,because this study only focuses on reducing heat stress in terms of thermal comfort,further research is needed in the safety or durability of working clothes.