Research on ‘Anti-heat Stress Clothing for Construction Workers in Hot & Humid Weather’ Receiving Dean’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Technology Transfer 2015
Bravo! Under Prof. Albert Chan’s leadership,his research team’s project ‘Anti-heat Stress Clothing for Construction Workers in Hot & Humid Weather’ has recently won‘Dean’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Technology Transfer 2015’.
This project titled “Anti-heat Stress Clothing (AHSC) for Construction Workers in Hot and Humid Weather” is funded by a grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China. This multi-disciplinary study involved demonstrable experts and professionals from the fields of occupational safety and health, textile sciences, and biological and exercise sciences.
This brilliant research team is composed oft he elites from the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE)and Institute of Textile and Clothing (ITC), PolyU, and the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi), HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKUSPACE), and the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd). More member details are available in the table on page3.
Cater for Industrial Need
Construction workers are susceptible to heat stress while working in a hot environment. Wearing appropriate summer clothes is one of personal protective controls to protect workers from heat stress. However, there is a lack of definite industry standards for identifying the appropriate summer clothes.Meanwhile, scientific research to design such clothes for construction workers is spare. To bridge these gaps, the research team takes initiatives to design and engineer the appropriate summer clothes to help workers combat heat stress.
AHSC’s Outstanding Features
1.Light and thin
2.UV protection
3.Superior capacity in sweat absorption and releasing after chemical treatment
4.Meshed warp knit fabric on the side of the body promoting evaporation transfer
5.Porous reflective strips balancing air permeability and visibility
6.Loose-fit design improving mobility and wearing comfort
7.Different front and back design improving visibility and safety
Benefits to Workers and Industry
Wearing the AHSC with excellent thermal and moisture performance may encourage people not to take off these clothes in the heat. So it not only protects workers from ultraviolet radiation but also provides comfortable micro climate environment. As it can be expected, the well-being of construction workers will be improved when they are willingness to wear the AHSC when working in hot weather. Eventually, their productivity can be enhanced that is certainly beneficial to the industry.
Based on a scientific approach with robust research methodologies, the findings of the current research demonstrate that the AHSC is applicable in industrial settings and eventually in large populations and locations. Thus, the convincing research finding senable both the academia and practitioners to improve work practice in the construction industry through developing an industry standard.
The AHSC has received wide attention from academics, industry, and the public. The impacts of the AHSC to the construction industry havebeen expanded through a series of promotionand exhibition activities.
Research Team
Team Leader(Department)
Prof Albert PC Chan, Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE), PolyU
Team Members(Departments)
Prof Francis KW Wong, BRE
Dr Michael CH Yam, BRE
Dr Daniel WM Chan, BRE
Dr Edmond WM Lam, BRE
Prof Y Li,Institute of Textile and Clothing,PolyU
Dr YP Guo, ITC
Dr WF Song, BRE
Dr W Yi, BRE
Miss Y Yang, BRE
External collaborators:
Dr Del Wong, the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong
Dr Esther Cheung, HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education
Prof Joanne Chung, the Hong Kong Institute of Education
