Development and Comparative Study of Headgear for Male Farm Workers under Heat Stress Condition

Abstract

India has a vast geographical area with variations in climate and temperature from region to region. Summers are very harsh in many parts of the country where temperature exceeds 45°C. Most of the agricultural operations in the country are performed by manual labour in such a warm climate where it becomes difficult for the body to maintain its heat balance with the environment. In leads to heat stress many a time. Heat stroke is the most serious among these disorders and it may lead to death if not properly treated. newlineTo minimize heat stress in warm climate many techniques are used. One of them is the use of headgear which protects the head. Farmers are using towel, pagdi, caps etc. as headgear from the last many years. However they are less effective because either they do not cover complete head or do not provide proper shadow and ventilation. Scientists have also worked on many headgears like white pagdi, hat with 90 mm brim width and headgear with solar fan system. These headgears increased the comfort of the workers but still they had certain lacunas because of which they did not become popular. It was, therefore, felt that a solar hat with air circulation system is needed which can reduce the risk of heat stress and improve the comfort of agricultural workers. The developed solar hat consists of 3 W solar panel, brushless motor (6 volt, 2.5W), fan, potentiometer (470k), on/off switch and shell. The potentiometer was used to regulate the speed of the fan. On/off switch was provided to use the fan as and when required. Contd.... newline