Contribution of open-air concrete slabs to the heat stress on working mano

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the heat stress on workers of the construction industry on open-air concrete slabs in the city of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. Brazilian NR-15 provides a method for evaluating the heat stress to which a person is exposed using the WBGT (wet bulb globe temperature) index, prescribing rest pauses according to the type of activity. The methodology included measurements of environmental thermal variables and atmospheric quantities, followed by the calculation of the WBGT index. Data was collected at 12 different locations from August/2017 to March/2018, covering three diferent seasons. Results show that moderate and heavy activities on concrete slabs require pauses in every month, except in August.