Uwe Reischl, a professor in the Department of Community and Environmental Health, presented a research paper at the 2014 Congress of the African Regional Association of Occupational Health held Aug. 1-3 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Reischl’s paper, titled “Solar Heat Stress Reduction through Innovative Clothing Design,” illustrated the application of new clothing design strategies in the reduction of heat stress during exposure to extreme solar infrared heat radiation conditions.
The findings are based on simulations carried out in the Boise State thermal manikin laboratory with prototype garments field tested by agricultural workers in California. The new garment design can be considered for use by miners working in open-pit gold mines and copper mines in Africa.