Evaluating the physiological and perceptual responses of wearing a newly designed construction work uniform

Abstract

Properly selected fabrics and smartly designed uniform are essential to improve thermal and moisture performance of summer clothes. As compared to a commercial uniform (CON) that was commonly worn by construction workers, a newly designed work uniform (NEW) consists of a smartly designed short-sleeved shirt with superior air permeability and a pair of full-length pants with excellent overall moisture management capacity. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of NEW on combating body physiological and perceptual strain through conducting human wear trials in the laboratory experiment. Twelve participants took part in two trials (one with wearing NEW and another with wearing CON) on two experimental days. Each trial included a rest–intermittent running–recovery cycle inside a climatic chamber controlled at 34.5℃ and 75% relative humidity. The major findings manifested that the mean skin temperature ( $\overline{T_{\mathrm{sk}}}$ ) of participants with NEW was significantly lower than that with CON toward a high running speed (8.5 km/h, 4% slope). During passive recovery, thermo-physiological strain (intestinal temperature (T_in), $\overline{T_{\mathrm{sk}}}$ , and mean body temperature $\overline{T_b}$ ) of participants with NEW was significantly lower than that with CON. The perceptual strain of participants with NEW was significantly alleviated during exercise and post-exercise recovery periods as the participants felt cooler, drier, and more comfortable than those with CON. It was concluded that the newly designed work uniform is effective in alleviating thermo-physiological and perceptual strain during intermittent exercise and post-exercise recovery in hot and humid environment.