This paper reports on a recent re-examination on use of the basic effective temperature heat stress index in the heat trigger action response plan (TARP) values in coal mines. The paper examines the methodology of calculating normal and basic effective temperature and compares the results against an equation used to develop the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) nomogram for Basic Effective Temperature. In addition, the calculated results are also compared against the simple wet-bulb temperature, air cooling power and Thermal Work Limit indices using operational data. As a result of these investigations, a number of flaws in the Effective Temperature method are revealed and allow the question to be asked is Effective Temperature an effective heat stress index? The authors implore the coal mine ventilation engineering community and coal mine regulators to re-visit the current legislative requirements on the use of Effective Temperature parameter against a more practical and proven heat stress parameter such as wet bulb temperature (WBT) as an initial assessment tool which does not require additional calculations.
CITATION:Tuck, M A and Belle, B, 2019. Effective temperature: is it an effective heat stress management index?, in Proceedings Australian Mine Ventilation Conference 2019, pp 292306 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).