Thermal Comfort Measurement
Workers in the workplaces may feel uncomfortable from time to time due to climatic conditions such as temperature, air currents and humidity. The fact that they are in a certain comfort both physically and mentally while they work is called thermal comfort. Based on this definition, the following factors come to the fore when it comes to thermal comfort:• Air temperature (temperature or coldness value of the working environment)
• Humidity density of the air (Amount of humidity in the air of the working environment)
• Air flow velocity (required for the removal of gases and dusts in the working environment)
• Radiant heat (The thermal balance of the worker with the environment)
It is also important that the thermal comfort conditions in the working environment are at a level that will not disturb the employees and that they do not adversely affect the physical and psychological conditions of the employees, in terms of increasing work efficiency and preventing work accidents.
It should be ensured that the temperature of the working environment is suitable according to the working style and the power consumed by the employees. This applies not only to the operating environment, but also to resting areas, changing rooms, dining halls, canteens, showers and toilets and first aid rooms. Vehicles used for heating and cooling should be placed in such a way that they do not pose a danger to the employees and do not disturb the employees, and their maintenance should be done regularly.
According to the subject of the activity, if it is necessary to work in a very hot or very cold environment, in this case, measures should be taken to protect the employees from excessive heat or cold.
Today, thermal comfort measurements are made by many laboratories. These measurements are based on the following approaches:
• Measurements of temperature, humidity, pressure and radiant heat values of the working environment are evaluated within the framework of relevant legal regulations.
• The adequacy or insufficiency of the ventilation systems is evaluated by measuring the air flow rates of the working environment.
• Thermal comfort measurements and evaluations in workplaces are made according to the TS EN 27243 standard (estimation of the pressure of the heat on the employee according to the TS EN 27243 Hot environments - Wbgt (wet - chamber sphere temperature) index)
• In addition, all national and international standards are taken into account and reported in thermal comfort measurements.
• Care is taken to ensure that the measuring instruments comply with today's technology and relevant standards, and that their calibrations are regularly performed by accredited institutions.
