Jane Batcheller

Establishing thermal comfort: characterization of selected performance and physical properties of fabrics used in hospital operating room uniforms

The purpose of this research was to characterize selected thermal properties of clothing fabrics available to operating room (OR) workers at the University of Alberta Hospital and to relate the thermal properties to fabric structural characteristics. In this study, we measured the thermal resistance and air permeability of fabrics obtained from surgical gowns, scrubs and warm-up jackets currently in use in ORs in a specific hospital. The results showed that the fabrics from which the surgical gowns were made provide the highest thermal insulation with lowest air permeability, while the warm-up jackets’ fabrics had the greatest air permeability with low thermal insulation values. The clothing options available to workers in the OR fall well below the predicted clothing insulation values for thermal comfort. For workers in the OR, such as anaesthesiologists, who are predominantly sedentary throughout their work shift, the lack of thermally insulating clothing options has consequences for their overall thermal comfort. This study comprises part of a larger ongoing study investigating improving the OR workers thermal comfort through clothing.

Clothing in the kitchen: Evaluation of fabric performance for protection against hot surface contact, hot liquid and low-pressure steam burns

Kitchen workers sustain one of the highest rates of occupational burn injuries through exposure to the various thermal hazards present in institutional and restaurant kitchens. The jacket of the chefs’ uniform has the potential to act as a protective garment, although the extent of the protection afforded by this clothing has not been examined. This study evaluates a selection of current fabrics used in chefs’ uniform jackets to determine their effectiveness in providing protection against hot surface contact, hot liquids and low-pressure steam burns. Four jacket fabrics and two apron fabrics were tested as single layers and in layered combinations. Results showed that single-layered fabrics offered less protection against hot surface contact burns than double-layered fabrics, as an increase in fabric thickness improved thermal insulation of the system. Fabrics covered with a water-impermeable apron layer afforded the greatest protection against hot water and low-pressure steam, while fabrics covered with a permeable apron layer did not provide additional protection. It was found that the addition of the permeable apron fabric layer stored more thermal energy when exposed to hot water, potentially reducing the protection offered by the layered fabric systems.

Modelling the physiological strain and physical burden of chemical protective coveralls

This study determined the impact of selected chemical protective coveralls (CPC) on physiological responses and comfort sensations. Fifteen males exercised at approximately 6 METS in three CPC (Tyvek®, Gulf and Tychem®) and a control garment. Physiological strain was characterised by core and skin temperatures, heart rate, , perceived exertion, hotness and wetness. Physical burden was characterised by restriction to movement, and RPE. The highest levels of physiological strain and physical burden were found in Tychem®, and the lowest in control. Seven statistical regression models were developed through correlation and multiple regression analyses between the human responses and the results from previously conducted fabric and garment property testing. These models showed that physical burden was increased by adding weight and/or restricting movement. Oxygen consumption was best predicted by clothing weight and fabric bending hysteresis. Fabric evaporative resistance and thickness were the two best predictors of physiological and perceptual responses. Practitioner Summary: Traditional evaluation of chemical protective coveralls (CPC) involves testing at the fabric and garment levels and rarely is based on human trials. This study integrates information from fabric, garment and human trials to better understand physiological strain and physical comfort during prolonged exercise in CPC.

Preparation of fabric strain sensor based on graphene for human motion monitoring

To date, wearable sensors are increasingly finding their way into application of healthcare monitoring, body motion detection and so forth. A stretchable and wearable strain senor was fabricated on the basis of commercially available spandex/nylon fabric by the integration of conductive graphene network. Specifically, a simple graphene oxide dip-reduce method that enabled scalable fabrication pathway was employed. The good recovery of the graphene-coated fabric led to consistent resistance values despite the strain applied on the fabric and exhibited high gauge factor around 18.5 at 40.6% strain. Moreover, the graphene-coated fabric sensor could detect human motions such as finger bending with acceptable mechanical properties against un-coated fabrics, indicating that it has huge potential in wearable sensors applications.

Development of a protocol to assess fabric suitability for testing liquid moisture transport properties

The multi-dimensional liquid moisture transport through fabrics can be measured using the moisture management tester (MMT), with fabrics being categorized according to how liquid spreads on the top (inner) and bottom (outer) surfaces of a fabric. As the overall moisture management capability (OMMC) is heavily weighted on the one-way liquid transport capability (R), some fabrics which exhibit a ‘water penetration’ type profile are typically too high in OMMC, as no liquid spreading occurs within the fabric but instead pools in the lower sensors of the test instrument. Therefore, in this paper, a protocol for handling test data which exhibits the ‘water penetration’ type profile is recommended in order to manage the high variability of MMT test data and identify fabrics which are not suitable for evaluation using the MMT.