Abstract
To evaluate the thermal environments and the workload of farmers in the rice field in summer, this study investigated rice farmers' physiological, psychological responses, work postures, work clothes, air temperature and air humidity during the spraying pesticide in the rice field. Five career farmers (3 males, 2 females) volunteered as the subjects. During the spraying pesticide in the rice field, physiological responses were monitored continuously. The results were as follows. l. Farmers wore only raincoats not pesticide-proof clothing. 2. The value of WBGT, rectal temperature($T_{re}$), mean skin temperature(${\={T}}_{sk}$) were $24.9∼28.9^{\circ}C,\;37.8({\pm}0.3)^{\circ}C\;and\;33.6({\pm}0.6)^{\circ}C$, respectively. Clothing microclimate temperature($T_{cl}$) on the chest and back were $32.5({\pm}2.6)^{\circ}C\;and\;33.6({\pm}2.6)^{\circ}C$, respectively(p<0.00l). Humidity inside of the clothing ($H_{cl}$) was over 80%RH and heart rate(HR) was 112(${\pm}27$)bpm. We evaluated that the spraying pesticide was 'heavy work' by the Tre and HR. To four subjective questionnaires, all farmers expressed 'hard, hot, humid and uncomfortable' without individual difference at the end of works. We suggested that 1) the spraying pesticide in the rice field was a heavy work, 2) because the workload of farmers in the raincoat/pesticide-proof clothing can't be evaluated by only WBGT, assessors should measure physiological, psychological responses as well as thermal environments, 3) to alleviate farmers' heat strain, clothing manufacturers must consider not only the improvement of textile materials and clothing weight but also the designing of personal cooling equipment.
