A preliminary study of the thermal strain experienced by dive support boat personnel
ABSTRACTAnecdotal evidence indicated some British military dive support boat personnel suffer from uncomfortably cold hands and feet, which could impair their performance and be associated with reductions in core body temperature. This study collected preliminary data on thermal stress and cognitive...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2023-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Circumpolar Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/22423982.2023.2199491 |
| _version_ | 1797385603424190464 |
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| author | Samantha Saunders Will Furby Kieran Chillingsworth Ella F Walker Graham White |
| author_facet | Samantha Saunders Will Furby Kieran Chillingsworth Ella F Walker Graham White |
| author_sort | Samantha Saunders |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACTAnecdotal evidence indicated some British military dive support boat personnel suffer from uncomfortably cold hands and feet, which could impair their performance and be associated with reductions in core body temperature. This study collected preliminary data on thermal stress and cognitive performance of personnel taking part in a cold-weather training exercise. Six men were monitored during four boat transits in a range of climatic conditions (air temperature +1.2°C to −10.5°C, wind chill −4.5°C to 19.3°C). Core body temperature was measured with a radio pill and 12 skin sites (ISO 9886 plus hand, finger, foot and toe) with iButtons or thermistors. Self-reported thermal comfort and thermal sensation was also recorded. Reaction time and selective attention were measured pre- and post-transit. Participants’ physical characteristics and personal clothing ensembles were recorded. No participant became hypothermic. Most participants’ hand, foot and digit temperatures fell to below 15°C, indicating a risk of impaired dexterity, in addition to that arising from gloves. During the trial, hand and digit temperatures occasionally fell below 10°C. The limited data collected showed personal clothing choices could provide adequate thermal protection for these conditions and temperatures, and highlighted inter-individual variation and the need to allow for significant variation of day-to-day environmental conditions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T21:56:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f512a8f41190467e9aec7392203cc1fe |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2242-3982 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T21:56:33Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Circumpolar Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-f512a8f41190467e9aec7392203cc1fe2023-12-19T21:44:11ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Circumpolar Health2242-39822023-12-0182110.1080/22423982.2023.2199491A preliminary study of the thermal strain experienced by dive support boat personnelSamantha Saunders0Will Furby1Kieran Chillingsworth2Ella F Walker3Graham White4Human Performance Group, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Salisbury, Wiltshire, UKHuman Performance Group, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Salisbury, Wiltshire, UKHuman Performance Group, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Salisbury, Wiltshire, UKHuman Performance Group, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Salisbury, Wiltshire, UKHuman Performance Group, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Salisbury, Wiltshire, UKABSTRACTAnecdotal evidence indicated some British military dive support boat personnel suffer from uncomfortably cold hands and feet, which could impair their performance and be associated with reductions in core body temperature. This study collected preliminary data on thermal stress and cognitive performance of personnel taking part in a cold-weather training exercise. Six men were monitored during four boat transits in a range of climatic conditions (air temperature +1.2°C to −10.5°C, wind chill −4.5°C to 19.3°C). Core body temperature was measured with a radio pill and 12 skin sites (ISO 9886 plus hand, finger, foot and toe) with iButtons or thermistors. Self-reported thermal comfort and thermal sensation was also recorded. Reaction time and selective attention were measured pre- and post-transit. Participants’ physical characteristics and personal clothing ensembles were recorded. No participant became hypothermic. Most participants’ hand, foot and digit temperatures fell to below 15°C, indicating a risk of impaired dexterity, in addition to that arising from gloves. During the trial, hand and digit temperatures occasionally fell below 10°C. The limited data collected showed personal clothing choices could provide adequate thermal protection for these conditions and temperatures, and highlighted inter-individual variation and the need to allow for significant variation of day-to-day environmental conditions.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/22423982.2023.2199491Non-freezing cold injurycold stressthermal stressMilitarysupport personnelmaritime exercise |
| spellingShingle | Samantha Saunders Will Furby Kieran Chillingsworth Ella F Walker Graham White A preliminary study of the thermal strain experienced by dive support boat personnel International Journal of Circumpolar Health Non-freezing cold injury cold stress thermal stress Military support personnel maritime exercise |
| title | A preliminary study of the thermal strain experienced by dive support boat personnel |
| title_full | A preliminary study of the thermal strain experienced by dive support boat personnel |
| title_fullStr | A preliminary study of the thermal strain experienced by dive support boat personnel |
| title_full_unstemmed | A preliminary study of the thermal strain experienced by dive support boat personnel |
| title_short | A preliminary study of the thermal strain experienced by dive support boat personnel |
| title_sort | preliminary study of the thermal strain experienced by dive support boat personnel |
| topic | Non-freezing cold injury cold stress thermal stress Military support personnel maritime exercise |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/22423982.2023.2199491 |
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