The influence of clothing weight and bulk on metabolic rate when wearing protective clothing
Year: 2005
Type: other
Abstract: Protective clothing is worn in many industrial and military situations. Although worn for protection from one or\nmore hazards, the clothing can have secondary effects which may limit the ability of the worker to perform the\ntasks required of the job. Protective clothing can add significantly to the metabolic (energy) cost of work.\nSuggestions put forward as to the mechanisms behind the observed increases include, the additional clothing\nweight of the protective garments, the number of layers that must be worn and restriction of movement due to\nclothing bulk. However despite much speculation these areas have not received much investigation. The aims of\nthis study, were to look at the effects of carrying weight close to the body centre of gravity and at the extremities\nand also to estimate the bulkiness of a selection of protective garments and how that might relate to the increased\nmetabolic rate wearers may incur.\nEleven weight configurations were tested for the first part of the study, with weights of 2 to 10 kg carried around\nthe waist. Weights of 2 and 4 kg were also carried around the ankles or wrists (1 or 2 kg on each limb) and\nweights of 4 and 8 kg carried around the ankles and wrists (1 or 2 kg on each limb). The increases in metabolic\nrate (measured by indirect calorimetry using a Cortex MetaMax analyzer) were compared to a control condition\nafter participants had walked at 5km/hr on a treadmill and completed an obstacle course. There was a fairly\nlinear increase in metabolic rate as the weight carried around the waist increased. A larger increase in metabolic\nrate was recorded when the weight was carried around the wrists and an even larger increase when the weight\nwas on the ankles.\nThe clothing bulk was measured at 3 sites; upper arm, torso and thigh on six protective clothing ensembles, that\nhad been worn in a previous study that had looked at the increase in metabolic rate when working. There seemed\nto be a relationship between clothing bulk in the legs and the scale of previously recorded metabolic rate\nincreases.
Authors: Lucy E. Dorman, George Havenith
Institution: Loughborough University
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: European Commission
OpenAlex ID: W384182645