The development of new technological means of monitoring and regulating the air in industrial premises is due to the need to increase the requirements for the quality of working conditions. In an environment that is favorable for well-being and health in general, people are more efficient in managing their duties, which directly affects production volumes. At the moment, the key factors for ensuring clean air are based on the use of air conditioning and industrial ventilation devices. The central place in the context of considering the problems of creating optimal conditions for working in the premises is occupied by the microclimate - this is a set of indicators of the climate of the environment inside the production facility. That is, two aspects can be distinguished that are important from the point of view of maintaining optimal indoor air quality - this is the microclimate and its parameters.
What is a production microclimate?
In modern regulations provided for the organization of production processes, a lot of attention is paid to the safety of workers. Against the background of the complexity of manufacturing, processing and disposal technologies in enterprises, the need arises for appropriate protection of people. In terms of determining the concept of personnel protection, the microclimate is of greatest importance - this is a set of parameters of the air environment, on the basis of which the permissible and optimal values of temperature, humidity, thermal radiation and other characteristics are determined. In the future, they become the starting point for developing a strategy for creating comfortable conditions for the fruitful work of people in the enterprise.
Factors affecting the value of parameters
The formation of the microclimate occurs under the influence of several factors that determine the values of its parameters. During the day, their indicators can vary, and in some areas they may even differ at the same time. The list of the main factors determining the microclimate parameters includes the following:
- climatic zone and season;
- sizes of workshops, premises, departments;
- air exchange conditions and characteristics;
- technical support of the production process;
- the number of employees.
Microclimate
When analyzing the conditions for the formation of a microclimate in a workflow, the parameters can be considered both individually and collectively. The indicators characterizing the production environment include the speed of movement, humidity values and air temperature. In addition, possible thermal radiation is also taken into account. The temperature regime is usually determined by the characteristics of the surfaces. In particular, the state of structures and equipment (units, devices, screens) is taken into account. The temperature parameters of the microclimate are taken into account only subject to the availability of funds that provide heat. The same applies to heat exposure. Humidity indicators are based on the coefficients of the vapor that is contained in the air. In this case, humidity can be calculated as maximum, relative and absolute.
The effect of microclimate on the body
The parameters of the industrial microclimate directly affect the human condition. For example, a decrease in temperature and an increase in the speed of air flow enhances convective heat transfer and heat transfer. This occurs during the evaporation of sweat and can contribute to hypothermia. Conversely, a production microclimate can provoke reverse processes if the air temperature rises. Humidity also plays a significant role in the impact of the work environment on the human body. This indicator is associated with the body's tolerance of temperature and its thermal sensations. If the relative humidity rises, then the evaporation of sweat is slower and there is a risk of overheating of the body.
Adverse effects on thermal sensations are exerted to a greater extent by increased humidity under conditions when the temperature exceeds 30 ° C. The entire amount of heat generated by the evaporation of sweat will go into the environment, which forms a working microclimate in this room. High humidity indicators exclude the possibility of evaporation of sweat - its drops flow down the skin. As a result, the process of torrential sweat starts, which has a debilitating effect on the person and prevents optimal heat transfer.
Sanitary requirements
The standards governing the characteristics of the microclimate are enshrined in sanitary-hygienic acts for production facilities. The regulation provides hygienic requirements for the microclimate, providing optimal and permissible values of temperature, speed and humidity of the air. In addition, there are requirements for thermal exposure for industrial premises, taking into account workloads and the time of year.
Fulfillment of established standards is not always possible at enterprises where technological requirements contradict hygiene standards . In such cases, compliance with the rules of supervisory services does not allow achieving economic feasibility in the work of the enterprise. However, this does not mean that managers do not take appropriate measures to create favorable working conditions. As an alternative, the introduction of measures to protect workers with special safety equipment is practiced.
Optimal performance
Favorable microclimatic conditions at production facilities in most cases are calculated from indicators of the functional state of the worker. Optimum microclimate requirements are aimed at providing a general and local sensation of thermal comfort during an eight-hour shift. It is important that the minimum voltage is maintained during thermoregulation.
One of the main criteria in calculating the optimal microclimate indicators is the absence of factors causing deviations in the state of health. In addition, the industrial microclimate should create the prerequisites for increasing the working capacity of people. The requirements apply to operator workplaces, where the functions of an employee can be associated not only with the performance of technical tasks. These are areas where the work also provides for neuro-emotional stress, for example, consoles and control posts, complexes with computer equipment and cabinets, from where the operator controls the technological processes.
Permissible microclimate conditions
To create conditions with acceptable parameters, less stringent requirements are used. Since the industrial microclimate is a set of indicators for various factors in the working environment, extreme indicators often become the only possible ones. In such cases, standards with acceptable values apply. If they are observed, the risk of serious deviations in the health of employees is eliminated, but the impact on specific and general sensations in the form of discomfort, the appearance of poor health and reduced performance is still possible. For example, the permissible values of the air temperature depending on the nature of the working process can be from 3 to 5 ° C, which sometimes causes discomfort if special personal protective equipment is not provided.
Climate measuring instruments
To determine the indicators of microclimate conditions, it is necessary to use appropriate measuring instruments. A traditional device for controlling the temperature regime is a thermometer, but thermographs can also be used, with which indicators are recorded in a certain period of time. A wider list of devices is used to determine the humidity, which also applies to the microclimate of the premises in the form of specific values. These can be stationary and aspiration psychrometers, hygrometers, as well as barometers - aneroids, which are also used in measuring atmospheric pressure.
Prevention of adverse effects
As already noted, adhering to the requirements for microclimate is not always possible, and deviation from acceptable indicators requires preventive measures aimed at eliminating the harmful effects. They are implemented by various means, including through the use of air conditioning systems, the use of individual protective equipment from the effects of low and high temperatures, etc. Since the microclimate is a state of the environment that can be local at the facility, differentiation of premises at enterprises is often practiced depending on the characteristics of the air. This allows you to equip special lounges in which workers normalize the state of their body.