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Physiological Responses of Two Male Age Groups to Working in Deep Cold and Subjectively Experienced Stress and Strain

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Age-Differentiated Work Systems

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Abstract

Order picking in deep cold-storage depots leads to the necessity that employees must remain working at temperatures of around −24° C for a whole workday. Actually, it has not been established whether an age-related organization of working times and breaks is necessary or not. In order to assess possible age-dependent physiological effects, 30 male subjects were classified into two age groups (20- to 35-year olds and 40- to 65-year olds). In whole workday tests, “heart rate”, “skin surface temperature”, “blood pressure” and “body core temperature” were registered. The heart rate values indicated a high physiological strain for both age groups. Due to the deteriorating ability of heat generation with advancing age, substantial decreases of the body core temperature could be recorded for the older employees. Age-related differences in the skin temperature and the blood pressure could not be found. Regarding the physiological strain correspondingly adapted working time, break regimes have to be provided for older employees to ensure their work ability in the long run.

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Acknowledgments

We are thankful for the cooperation of the employees, and are grateful for the support provided by the management of ALDI GmbH and Co. KG. We would also like to thank all subjects participating in the study, the students assisting in carrying out the field studies and the associates of the Ergonomics Division at the University of Siegen involved in the research project (DFG grant no. STR 392/5-1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Siegen University, Siegen, Germany

    Karsten Kluth, Mario Penzkofer & Helmut Strasser

Authors
  1. Karsten Kluth
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  2. Mario Penzkofer
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  3. Helmut Strasser
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Correspondence to Karsten Kluth .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Inst. of Industrial Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Bergdriesch 27, Aachen, 52062, Germany

    Christopher Marc Schlick

  2. , Institute of Industrial Science, University of Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-Straße 40, Kassel, 34132, Germany

    Ekkehart Frieling

  3. , Inst. of Work-, Organisational- and, TU Dresden, Zellescher Weg 17, Dresden, 01062, Germany

    Jürgen Wegge

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Kluth, K., Penzkofer, M., Strasser, H. (2013). Physiological Responses of Two Male Age Groups to Working in Deep Cold and Subjectively Experienced Stress and Strain. In: Schlick, C., Frieling, E., Wegge, J. (eds) Age-Differentiated Work Systems. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35057-3_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35057-3_18

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-35056-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-35057-3

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