title: Notes on the implementation of the IREQ model for the assessment of extreme cold environments.
abstract: This paper has been devoted to the difficulties that practitioners, skilled ergonomists or occupational health experts could find in the assessment of cold environments by means of (insulation required) IREQ model at the base of the (International Standardization Organization) ISO 11079 Standard. The in-depth analysis discussed here has underlined several difficulties about: (a) the graphical calculation of the predicted limit exposures; (b) some differences in both IREQ and (duration limit exposure) DLE values reported in ISO 11079; and (c) some errors and incongruities in the program available online for the assessment of DLEs. These occurrences lead to the systematic overestimation of the DLE that exceed up to 4 h, those obtained by means of the figures reported in the Standard with the consequent unreliable assessment. Such matters justify the need to promote, in the whole scientific community involved in the ergonomics of the thermal environment, an in-depth discussion on the best practice to be followed for the assessment of extreme cold environments by means of IREQ model.
  Incongruities in IREQ model and errors in the code suggested by ISO 11079 Standard prevent a reliable assessment of cold environments with DLE systematically overestimated. Therefore IREQ model has been theoretically investigated trying to help both neophytes and skilled ergonomists on the best practice to be followed.
authors: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università di Salerno, Fisciano (Salerno), Italy. fdambrosio@unisa.it
authors: Francesca Romana d'Ambrosio
authors: FR
authors: Alfano
authors: Boris Igor
authors: BI
authors: Palella
authors: Giuseppe
authors: G
authors: Riccio
mesh_terms: D001831:Body Temperature; D003196:Computer Graphics; D003201:Computers; D055873:Extreme Cold / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011481:Protective Clothing / Q000592:standards; D013997:Time Factors