Working strenuously in heat, cold, polluted air and at altitude.
Engineers and managers need to know how environmental conditions affect human capabilities to perform physical work. Heat reduces the ability to work intensively over extended time, but does not affect short bursts of activity. Cold, in contrast, does not affect intensive work of long duration, but reduces short bursts of energy exertions. Dehydration is a problem in both heat and cold. The effects of air pollution on work capabilities are not well researched though carbon monoxide is known to reduce them. Altitude hardly affects short burst of efforts, but the capabilities for enduring and maximal work are much reduced with increasing heights and stay diminished until one returns to sea level.
Kroemer
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Industrial Ergonomics Laboratory, Human Factors Engineering Center, ISE Department, Virginia Tech (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University), Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0118, USA.