Advisor(s)
Claudiu Lungu
Committee Member(s)
Allison Jones
Jonghwa Oh
School
School of Public Health
Document Type
Thesis
Department (new version)
Environmental Health Sciences
Date of Award
9-11-2025
Abstract
Heat is the leading cause of death for outdoor workers. In Alabama, there are an estimated 11,160 - 21,460 workers employed in the landscaping and groundskeeping industry, which are vulnerable to heat-related illnesses (HRI). In this study, core body temperature (CBT) and wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index were examined as potential indicators of heat stress. A SlateSafety (SS) Band V2 wearable CBT device and a WBGT monitor were used to collect CBT and WBGT values, respectively. Sampling for the main two measurements was performed over five days for two participants. An additional CBT device option, the e-Celsius performance ingestible pill, was used to compare with the results of the SS wearable device. For Participant 1, who took the optional ingestible pill and wore the SS wearable device, two sets of CBT measurements were taken each day. Participant 1’s CBT averages from the SS device were 99.8, 99.7, 100.2, 99.9, and 99.3°F, respectively for Days 1 through 5. For Participant 2, who wore only the wearable device, the SS CBT averages were 100.5,100.7, 100.8, 100.3, and 100.2°F for Days 1 through 5, respectively. The WBGT average values were 79.3, 85.1, 86.2, 86.1, and 89.3°F for Days 1 through 5, respectively. Participant 1’s CBT averages for the ingestible pill were 100.3, 99.7, 100.2, 96.2, and 101.1°F for Days 1 through 5, respectively. The average CBT data over 100°F from the SS device may indicate that the workers may be at risk of heat stress. However, interpretations should be made with caution as the average CBT does not mean a sustained elevation of core temperature for a prolonged period and thorough validations of the wearable device are still needed. The daily WBGT results except for Day 1 exceeded the OSHA’s high heat trigger when heavy workload was assumed. The bias between the SS wearable device and the ingestible pill was 0.066°F and the precision was 0.467°F, which were within the acceptable limits for precision and bias.
ProQuest ID
Recommended Citation
Parker, Lara Anne, "Core Body Temperature (Cbt) Monitoring Among Groundskeepers Under Heat Stress" (2025). All ETDs from UAB. 7439.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/7439
