Investigating The Effect of Heat Stress Exposure on Visual- Auditory Performances of subjects in laboratory conditions

Jafari MJ; Akhlaghi Pirposhteh E; Ghaffari S

doi:10.18502/tkj.v16i1.15126

Jafari MJ Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention Research Center (SPIPRC), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Akhlaghi Pirposhteh E Department of Occupational Health Engineering, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
Ghaffari S Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/tkj.v16i1.15126

Keywords: Heat Stress, Visual- Auditory performances, Response Time, Attention

Abstract

Background and purpose: heat stress is One of the most important physical harmful factors in open and closed industrial environments. this can affect people's cognitive and mental functions and cause to appear the speed of fatigue, reduce concentration and skill, and increase the amount of errors. Therefore, the current research has The Effect of Heat Stress Exposure on Visual- Auditory Performances of subjects in laboratory conditions.

Materials and methods: This study was conducted on 32 male students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, aged 20 to 29, who were selected according to the condition of consent and meeting the inclusion criteria. Environmental heat stress was applied at three levels of temperature index of 22, 29, and 34 degrees Celsius, and the temperature index of 22 degrees Celsius was considered as the laboratory background condition. Then, they were studied in different laboratory conditions, including exposure to heat stress. The attention level and reaction time of the subjects were evaluated using the IVA (Integrated Visual and Auditory Continues) test tool. The participants completed the written consent form, demographic information form, and general health questionnaire. Also, the heart rate of the people was recorded by a digital heart rate monitor.

Results: The results of this study showed that the amount of visual and auditory attention decreased significantly (p<0.001). The reaction time of people also increased significantly under the influence of heat stress (p<0.001).

Conclusion: The results showed that exposure to heat stress is an effective factor in reaction time, attention level and heart rate, which can reduce accuracy in doing work. Therefore, paying attention to the amount of thermal stress in working environments plays a very important role in improving the speed and performance of people.