Germany is the largest “chemical nation” in Europe and an important driver of innovation in other sectors. The chemical industry is not only one of the most important, but also one of the most vital economic sectors in Germany. It produces more and more sustainable products with high safety standards. At the same time, it stands for respectful interaction with people and nature – worldwide. This also includes the topic of health and heat protection. Especially in the chemical industry and plastics production, work situations are often extremely exposed to heat.
The heat drives the sweat out of the pores. On the one hand, this is a good thing, because the sweat on the skin is supposed to cool the body. But unfortunately, it doesn’t work as well as air conditioning, and in extreme heat, sweat does not cool sufficiently. In the chemical suit, this often leads to centimetre-high sweat in the boots, and the visor fogs up. In addition, you can easily overheat.
SWEATING MAKES YOU TIRED
According to scientific studies, sweating not only produces fluid but also requires an enormous amount of energy (70-80%). Sweating is therefore really exhausting. But it also means that you run out of energy more quickly every day. For this reason, on warm days you feel tired and listless in the afternoon or in the evening at the latest. In addition, the fluid needed for sweating is drawn from other parts of the body. For this reason, there is less of the important (blood) fluid in the brain and muscles compared to cooler days. Concentration and performance suffer as a result. The after-work hours anyway.
"WEARING A PROTECTIVE SUIT IN THE HEAT - THAT'S HELL"
HOW EMPLOYEES STAY COOL IN HIGH TEMPERATURES
A perfect heat protection strategy is necessary to keep people healthy, concentrated and productive even in high temperatures.
The solution: E.COOLINE – the climate-neutral “air conditioner to wear”. The active cooling functional clothing is quickly ready for use, is mobile and can be used anywhere. The 3D technology from E.COOLINE actively cools you for hours with up to 660 watts.
This keeps everything running smoothly at your workplace and makes you feel good. With cooling vests, cooling shirts, cooling headgear and arm and leg coolers, your cardiovascular system will be relieved. This is good for your health and also helps you in the after-work hours, as you are fitter and still feel like spending the nice weather with family, friends or doing sports. Good mood is guaranteed!
HEAT STRESS IS DANGEROUS: PREVENT HEAT EXHAUSTION
People feel most comfortable at a core body temperature between 36.8 and 37.2 °C. At this temperature, all processes in the body function best. At 38°C, you already feel tired and exhausted. At 39°C you run a fever and stay in bed. It’s only 1-2°C more, but it makes a huge difference.
Studies have shown that workers in protective clothing on the job already reach a body temperature of 38-39°C within 25 min. That’s a fever! Many workers in chemical protective suits or in hot workplaces are affected in the same way.
But it doesn’t have to be so extreme. Everyone gets problems with heat sooner or later at high temperatures. The good thing about it is that our body notices when it gets too hot and reacts against it. However, this also has its consequences.
When it is hot, more fluid has to be transported to the skin to produce sweat. This lowers blood pressure. To prevent or compensate for this, the heart beats faster. As the heart is the engine of the body, it is like driving a car at high speed all the time. This affects the heart as long as it is fully functional. However, in the case of illness or simply in the case of people who are more sensitive to heat and especially older employees, this can lead to enormous strain. In an emergency, it can even lead to a heat stroke. This particularly concerns workers wearing chemical protective suits and other protective clothing.
But this does not have to be the case. E.COOLINE gives you that extra kick of power to stay healthy, concentrated and productive even at high temperatures.
E.COOLINE DOUBLES THE OPERATING TIME
Practical tests have already proven it: With E.COOLINE cooling vests and cooling headgear, such as a bandana, the working time in chemical protective suits, but of course also in all other protective suits, can be significantly extended. The results of the tests in the Zytron 400 i (chemical protective suit) at the Darmstadt (Germany) fire brigade are clear evidence:
Of course, cooling in chemical protection suits has limits at some point – after all, this is a closed system. But working time in these suits is generally limited anyway. At the latest when high outside temperatures come into play. By using cooling, such as a cooling vest and a cooling headgear, this working time can be extended. In contrast, the suit without cooling is usually discarded much earlier, a second suit has to be used or the durability of the suits suffers from the many decontaminations. If the work can be carried out with cooling, this helps to save costs and reduce the amount of hazardous waste that has to be disposed of.
COOL AT WORK
The legislator and the German Social Accident Insurance recommend cooling waistcoats (see also DGUV 7002) whenever organisational and technical possibilities have been exhausted. This is usually the case, as the issue of heat did not just arise yesterday and of course every responsible employer already provides drinks and authorises more breaks. However, the issue of heat is becoming more extreme every year due to climate change. According to the UN, heat days are expected to increase by 100% by 2020. And so will the average temperature. This is exactly where E.COOLINE cooling functional clothing helps – activate it in seconds, put it on and stay cool while working!
