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Software improves feel
thermal in the work environment

Raquel do Carmo Santos

UA tool for evaluating thermal comfort in built environments was developed by work safety engineer Álvaro Ruas, in the laboratories of the Faculty of Civil Engineering at Unicamp. The Conforto 2.02 software allows, through mathematical models, the simulation of interventions in environments, whether in the design phase or post-occupancy. This would assist in the decision-making process to improve people's thermal sensation in the work environment, more specifically in industries. The work, unprecedented in Brazil, was guided by professor Lucila Labaki and will be useful for designers, engineers and professionals in the field in creating environments that harmonize human aspirations, the climate and the activities carried out. Later this month, Conforto 2.02 should be tested in clothing industries in the Amparo region.

Ruas says that the initiative to develop the tool began with observations in his day-to-day work at the Jorge Duprat Figueiredo Foundation for Occupational Safety and Medicine (Fundacentro), linked to the Ministry of Labor and Employment, whose objective is to develop research in safety, health and environment at work. In several situations, the engineer realized that the concept of thermal comfort needed more in-depth studies to implement methods aimed at the Brazilian climate. "It was not uncommon for me to realize the need for a tool of this nature." He explains that studies on the subject in Brazil are scarce and there is little information available on the subject. In his opinion, the greatest difficulty lies in the subjectivity of the term, since it deals with environmental conditions of a certain location and involves the feeling of a group of people. Therefore, the complexity of carrying out the measurement. According to surveys, Ruas believes that people's satisfaction in a given environment depends on physical, physiological and psychological factors.

Cold or heat - "Thermal discomfort is common in work environments in Brazil", declares the engineer. In his experience, the most common complaints are linked to heat. "But there are also complaints due to the cold." He explains that the issues originate mainly in places that handle or store chilled or frozen products, such as supermarkets and refrigerators. This reality, according to Ruas, can be explained by the lack of a standardized method to evaluate people's thermal sensation and legislation that establishes comfort conditions or thermal discomfort limits.

The engineer also explains that in many cases buildings are designed mainly based on aesthetic trends or technical production requirements, without concern for adapting the environment to human characteristics and limitations. According to him, the solution to these problems would not only entail the rationalization of energy with ventilation, refrigeration and heating systems, but could also positively affect worker efficiency and avoid damage to their health.

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