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Designing for Hand and Wrist Anatomy
Published in Karen L. LaBat, Karen S. Ryan, Human Body, 2019
Understanding the networks of the hand’s circulatory system is necessary to design products to warm or cool the body and to monitor some body functions and efficiencies. In cold conditions the arterioles, the final distributing arterial vessels of the hands, can reduce blood flow to the hand surface and the fingers. This automatic response helps maintain warm blood in the body core where it is needed to protect vital organs. The result can be cold hands or damaged tissues in extended periods of extreme cold. In these conditions, hands are susceptible to both non-freezing cold injury (peripheral cold injury without tissue freezing) and very serious, but less common, frostbite, with ice crystals forming in the tissues and obstructing blood vessels (Whitaker, 2016). Frostbitten distal fingers may require amputation. Hands and feet are both susceptible to frostbite, as the body uses the same tactics to preserve core heat by moving warm blood away from the farthest structures (Read Chapter 8, Section 8.5.2 on frostbite and feet).
A review of construction workforce health challenges and strategies in extreme weather conditions
Published in International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 2023
Sanjgna Karthick, Sharareh Kermanshachi, Apurva Pamidimukkala, Mostafa Namian
A major increase (15%) in emergency room visits by workers for cold-related injuries such as slips and falls (CP11) has been observed with every degree that the temperature falls during cold weather, and an increase in wind speed further increases the number of visits by 6% [49,50,51]. The rising number of slips, trips and fall-related accidents is attributed to ice, snow, limited visibility and cooling of the body [37,49]. Two-thirds of all fall events in cold weather occur on ice that is coated with snow [60]. Trench foot or immersion foot are also the result of working in cold environments [62,63]. Trench foot (CP12) is a condition in which blood vessels are inflamed to the extent that they damage organs and tissues; it is common among those who work for prolonged periods of time in temperatures that are above 0° C (32 °F). Immersion foot develops when workers stand in the same position for long periods of time, especially in cold, wet environments [61]. The terms trench foot and immersion foot are often used interchangeably; immersion foot, formerly known as trench foot, is considered a non-freezing cold injury. It is experienced by many outdoor workers, and often occurs when construction workers perform jobs, such as excavating a hole for a foundation, in cold, muddy water [63]. The symptoms of immersion foot begin with numbness and white or pale skin that changes to a shade of blue. It is often characterized by numbness and severe pain, even after heat has been restored [64,65]. Table 5 presents the physical challenges and health issues that workers encounter in extremely cold temperatures.
The thermal demands of flood rescue and impacts on task performance
Published in Ergonomics, 2020
Michael J. Tipton, Cristian Abelairas-Gómez, Adrian Mayhew, Gemma S. Milligan
On a health-related issue, it is worth noting that the peripheral skin temperatures recorded during the cold condition (circa 10 °C) and the circumstances of that condition (dependent limb, compressed tissues due to footwear and immersion) are very close to those associated with the acquisition of a non-freezing cold injury (NFCI), particularly when exposure times are extended (Francis and Golden 1985). The pathogenesis and pathology of NFCI are poorly understood, but the life-long consequences of this injury are well-recognised as cold sensitivity, persistent intractable pain and hyperhidrosis (Golden et al. 2013). NFCI is a major cause of disability compensation claims within the military (“Lessons from history: morbidity of cold injury in the Royal Marines during the Falklands Conflict of 19822017,” 2018)