Assessing a Monitoring Scale of Physiological Health and Risk Assessment Among Those Exposed to Heated Environments: A Brief Report

Background: Prevention of heat illness is of considerable medical interest within the field of occupational work. There are many established methods of perceptual health assessment; however, many are rather unpractical and timely. The objective was to improve the practicality and timeliness of perceptual physiological monitoring; a Heat Thermal Sensation scale has been developed. The usefulness of the scale was assessed on its ability to monitor physiological variable. Materials and Methods: Ten apparently healthy individuals performed physically exerting activity while exposed to 37 °C. Sensation and physiology were measured throughout. Results: The perceptual monitoring scale demonstrated weak positive correlations with human physiological variables including cardiorespiratory stresses. It demonstrated no correlation with thermoregulation stress. Conclusion: The scale needs further development to better improve heat illness practices to those commonly exposed in extreme heat during occupational work.