PPE HEAT STRESS CALCULATOR

Product Evaluation

The TSWG project underlying development of HeatCommander™ lasted more than three years. During the course of this project certain key inputs were developed and accuracy assessments conducted. For example, two vital PPE characteristics – insulation and permeability – were estimated for a number of ensembles (combination of protective clothing and breathing system) via thermal manikin testing, the only reliable way to develop such inputs. For the accuracy assessment, human subject testing was carried out in an environmental chamber operated by North Carolina State University’s Textile Protection and Comfort Center (TPACC), a premier research center focusing on integration of all aspects of the protection and comfort of clothing. For this testing, the subjects (U.S. Marines and firefighters) wore an assortment of PPE ensembles and exercised on a treadmill at prescribed work rates, with intermittent rest cycles, under controlled environmental conditions.

Shown above is a picture of human subject testing in progress. with the subject in the foreground (Level A ensemble) in a rest cycle and the subject in the background (Level B/C ensemble) in a work cycle.