Thermographic Evaluation of the Hands of Pig Slaughterhouse Workers Exposed to Cold Temperatures

Abstract

Brazil was rated the fourth leading producer and exporter of pork meat in the world. The aim of this study was to evaluate the temperature of the hands of pig slaughterhouse workers and its relation to the thermal sensation of the hands and the use of a cutting tool. The study included 106 workers in a pig slaughterhouse. An infrared camera FlirThermaCAM E320 (Flir Systems, Wilsonville, OR, USA) was used to collect the images of the dorsal and palmar surfaces of both hands. A numerical scale was used to obtain the thermal sensation. Chi-square test, Pearson correlation and Student’s t test or Wilcoxon were used (p ≤ 0.05). The majority of workers felt cold in the hands (66%) and workers who used the knife felt the coldest. There was an association between the thermal sensation and the use of knife (p = 0.001). Workers who used the tool showed correlation between the thermal sensation and the temperatures of the left fingers, with a difference between the temperatures of the right and left hands of those who used the knife (p ≤ 0.05). The hands (left) that manipulated the products presented the lowest temperatures. Findings indicate that employers of pig slaughterhouses should provide gloves with adequate thermal insulation to preserve the health of workers’ hands.

The Use of Personal Protective Equipment: Finger Temperatures and Thermal Sensation of Workers’ Exposure to Cold Environment

“…To detect thermal anomalies characterized by increasing or decreasing the temperature on the surface of the skin, some authors recommend the use of thermography because it is a non-invasive [ 11 ] and non-radiating tool [ 12 ]. Thermography has been used in studies related to occupational health, assisting in the diagnosis of musculoskeletal disorders [ 13 ], assessing the return to work [ 14 ], and analyzing the hand temperatures of office workers [ 15 ] and exposure to the cold environment [ 16 , 17 ].…”

The Effects of Industrial Protective Gloves and Hand Skin Temperatures on Hand Grip Strength and Discomfort Rating

“…This decreases the contraction velocity and maximal strength [ 12 ]. Thus, hand cooling could increase the risk hazards in workplace such as slaughterhouses [ 13 ]. Data on healthy adults and hand grip strength, especially with the effect of a hot environment on hand strength, are scarce.…”

Termografia Infravermelha no Desenvolvimento de Produtos: formas de abordagem e categorias dos produtos

“…Diante dos resultados, foi possível identificar que todos os estudos contemplam experimentos termográficos com seres humanos (MERINO et al, 2017;SALES et al, 2017;TIRLONI et al, 2017;PUŠNIK;ČUK;HADŽIČ, 2017;BARROS et al, 2016;DOTTI et al, 2016;BARROS, 2016;PERAZZO, 2016;FLORES-OLIVARES et al, 2015;SILVA et al, 2015;ROSSIGNOLI;BENITO;HERRERO, 2015;SANTOS, 2015;ANSELMO, 2014;PORTO, 2014;PEREIRA, 2013;PRESTES, 2011;LUZ et al, 2010;JENKINS;ROWN;RUTTERFORD, 2009;SCHACHER et al, 2008). Não obstante, as abordagens contemplam a análise de relações entre estes sujeitos e diferentes categorias de produtos.…”

“…Por fim, Tirloni et al (2017) visaram avaliar a temperatura das mãos dos trabalhadores de matadouros e sua relação com a sensação térmica das mãos e o uso de uma ferramenta de corte. Em síntese, a figura 8 apresenta as categorias de produtos analisados nos estudos.…”

“…, equipamentos esportivos (PUŠNIK; ČUK;HADŽIČ, 2017;DOTTI et al, 2016), peças de mobiliário(SALES et al, 2017;FLORES-OLIVARES et al, 2015; PEREIRA, 2013) embalagens (BARROS et al, 2016BARROS, 2016;SILVA et al, 2015) e ferramentas(TIRLONI et al, 2017). Além disso, um dos estudos apresenta experimentos com produtos intangíveis (JENKINS; ROWN;RUTTERFORD, 2009).No que tange as categorias de tecnologias assistivas, destacam-se os estudos deMerino et al (2017),Luz et al (2010) e Porto…”