Comparison between WBGT app prototype and WBGT monitor to assess heat stress risk in groundskeeping in an eastern North Carolina university setting

The Wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index is the preferred environmental heat metric for heat-related illness prevention in the workplace and is typically measured using a heat stress monitor. However, WBGT data may not always be easily accessible for worksite heat stress evaluation due to several factors. The OSHA-NIOSH mobile app was recently found to be inaccurate. Professors from East Carolina University recently developed a web app prototype to calculate the current and forecasted WBGT, but it has not been tested for accuracy. This study aims to assess the reliability of this WBGT app prototype in providing accurate heat stress risk information for university-based groundskeeping workers in eastern North Carolina. WBGT indices will be datalogged at two on-campus monitoring sites using heat stress monitors from March-September 2023 and assigned to risk levels by workload based on the ACGIH Threshold Limit Values. Hourly WBGT risk levels from both the heat stress monitor (WBGTins) and app (WBGTapp) will be time-matched and analyzed using cross-tabulation. If found to be reliable, the app may be used by supervisors and managers responsible for the heat safety of outdoor workers to alert them in a timely manner about taking preventive measures to reduce risk of HRI.

Scholars @ ECU