Personal protective clothing (PPC) is critical for worker safety and wellbeing from both protection and thermal management perspectives, particularly as PPC typically covers more than 90% of the body. Research of PPC in low-risk categories such as mining, oil, gas, and construction and their thermal management attributes is limited, although these industries represent a significant proportion of the industrial workforce, work across a broad range of major industries, and frequently work in hot and/or humid thermal environments. This study evaluated and characterized the thermal management attributes of a selection of commercial low-level risk PPC ensembles currently used around the world as well as a civilian/corporate wear ensemble, using a sweating thermal manikin. The results demonstrate that there are substantially poorer thermal attributes for the PPC ensembles. Predicted Heat Strain Index (PHS) results for hot conditions reveal significantly lower duration limited exposure (DLE) and considerably greater body water loss for the wearers of PPC. Opportunities to substantially reduce PPC material mass and improve construction for these low-level risk categories in order to enhance thermal management performance are identified. Relationships between the thermal attributes of PPC and civilian clothing, and their garment construction, fit, and material characteristics are identified, providing new and important knowledge for current performance and direction for development of new improved PPC. This study provides researchers, developers, and garment designers with valuable insights for future improvement of PPC to create improved PPC for industrial workwear worn in hot environments.

从防护和热管理的角度来看，个人防护服 (PPC) 对于工人的安全和福祉至关重要，特别是因为 PPC 通常覆盖身体 90% 以上。尽管采矿、石油、天然气和建筑等低风险类别及其热管理属性的 PPC 研究有限，但这些行业占工业劳动力的很大一部分，工作涉及广泛的主要行业，并且工作频繁在炎热和/或潮湿的热环境中。本研究使用出汗热人体模型，评估并表征了目前在世界各地使用的一系列商业低风险 PPC 套装以及民用/企业服装套装的热管理属性。结果表明，PPC 系综的热属性明显较差。炎热条件下的预测热应变指数 (PHS) 结果显示，PPC 佩戴者的持续时间有限暴露 (DLE) 显着降低，体内水分流失显着增加。确定了大幅减少 PPC 材料质量并改进这些低风险类别的结构的机会，以提高热管理性能。确定了 PPC 和民用服装的热属性及其服装结构、合身性和材料特性之间的关系，为当前性能和新改进 PPC 的开发方向提供了新的重要知识。这项研究为研究人员、开发人员和服装设计师提供了未来改进 PPC 的宝贵见解，从而为炎热环境下穿着的工业工作服打造改进的 PPC。