Risk assessment of cold stress in petroleum transfer station in the northwestern regions of Iran: Subjective and field measurements

Working in cold environments can have a variety of negative consequences on health, efficiency, quality, safety, and performance. The present study investigates the risk of cold stress in petroleum transfer centers in Iran's northwestern cold regions. The proposed method by ISO-15743 (E) was used to assess the risk of cold stress. The activity level (M) was calculated using the ISO 8996:2021 standard. The evaluation of local cooling, contact of cold surfaces, and hand and face temperature was performed using ISO 11079, ISO 13732-3, and ISO 9886, respectively. During their work, 28 outdoor site men and mechanics as a case group and 8 operators as a control group put through subjective analysis. According to the findings, the mean Icl,r, IREQmin, and IREQneutral were 1.59 +/- 0.33, 2.1 +/- 0.44, and 2.43 +/- 0.45, respectively. The mean equivalent chill temperature was-13.83 +/- 5.45, and workers were at risk of local cooling stress at levels 1 and 2. The case group showed greater losses in finger skin temperatures after short term exposure to extremely cold environments than the control group (P < 0.001). Based on the questionnaire results a significant percentage of workers performing the activity during the winter have more difficulty. Prolonged general and local cold exposure can cause pain, numbness, and frostbite in site men and mechanics. Careful planning, training, extensive distribution of cold protective clothing, rest periods, a relatively short stay in the cold environment, and proper equipment can greatly reduce these hazards.