Cold Stress: Effects on Performance and Health

The present chapter is intended to provide an overview of cold stress and strain not only on workers in cold workplaces, but also on people in general exposed to cold climate. Human adaptation to cold can be either acquired or inherited and occurs through acclimatization. The pattern of cold adaptation is dependent on the type (air, water) and intensity (continuous, intermittent) of the cold exposure. It has been reported that cold exposure and cooling can have profound effects on physical and cognitive performance. The majority of scientific reports related to health consequences of cold weather are on acute health changes. The study finds that total mortality among most populations is highest in winter and lowest in summer. Regulations or standards defining acceptable cold stress situations rely on one or a combination of approaches to control cold stress. Most prevalent national or international exposure guidelines have been provided comprehensively. Keywords: clothing; frostbite; hand-arm vibration syndrome; hypothermia; solar radiation; wind chill temperature; cold mortality; cold morbidity