Pengaruh Strategi Pendinginan Tubuh Terhadap Tingkat Heat Strain Ketika Melakukan Aktivitas Di Lingkungan Pekerjaan Outdoor

RIsky Haryanto, Dr. Eng. Ir. Titis Wijayanto, S.T., M.Des., IPM., ASEAN ENG

2025 | Tesis | S2 Teknik Industri

Pekerjaan di luar ruangan (outdoor) berisiko mengalami heat-related illness akibat paparan panas ekstrem dari sinar matahari secara langsung. Salah satu upaya yang dapat dilakukan adalah dengan menerapkan cooling intervention di sela-sela aktivitas kerja (interactivity cooling). Akan tetapi, penelitian mengenai metode cooling yang paling efektif masih sangat terbatas. Oleh karena itu, diperlukan eskplorasi lebih lanjut mengenai kombinasi pendinginan internal (cold water ingestion) ataupun pendinginan eksternal (forearm immersion, wet towel) dengan menggunakan kipas angin guna menentukan strategi body cooling yang optimal bagi pekerja outdoor.

Penelitian ini melibatkan 12 subjek laki-laki (usia 24,17 ± 0,76 tahun) yang melakukan aktivitas fisik di atas treadmill dengan intensitas setara 70% HRmax selama 90 menit dengan menggunakan coverall. Protokol eksperimen terdiri atas lima fase: baseline (10 menit), activity 1 (30 menit), interactivity cooling (10 menit), activity 2 (30 menit), dan post cooling (10 menit). Kondisi lingkungan disimulasikan menyerupai lingkungan kerja outdoor dengan suhu udara 33,4 ± 0,01°C; kelembapan udara 70,4 ± 0,01%; WBGT 29,37 ± 1,04°C; thermal radiation 635,08 ± 53,86 W/m2; dan kecepatan angin 0,23 m/s. eksperimen ini mencakup kondisi berupa konsumsi air mineral dengan suhu 28°C sebanyak ±7 ml/kg massa  tubuh (CON), cold water ingestion yang dikombinasikan dengan kipas angin (CWI+FAN), forearm immersion yang dikombinasikan dengan kipas angin dan konsumsi air mineral dengan suhu 28°C sebanyak ±7 ml/kg massa  tubuh (FI+FAN), dan wet towel  yang dikombinasikan dengan kipas angin dan konsumsi air mineral dengan suhu 28°C sebanyak ±7 ml/kg massa  tubuh (WT+FAN).

Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ketiga metode body cooling, CWI+FAN, FI+FAN, dan WT+FAN efektif dalam menurunkan heat strain. Meskipun demikian, FI+FAN memberikan hasil yang lebih konsisten karena tidak hanya mampu menurunkan heat strain saat fase interactivity cooling dan post cooling tetapi juga  menjaga stabilitas tubuh pada fase activity 2 (p < 0>heat strain pada fase interactivity cooling dan post cooling (p < 0>forearm immersion yang dikombinasikan dengan kipas angin dan konsumsi air mineral dengan suhu 28°C sebanyak ±7 ml/kg massa  tubuh dapat menjadi alternatif terbaik untuk menurunkan heat strain selama beristirahat/pemulihan dan membantu mempertahankan kondisi fisiologis saat melakukan aktivitas di lingkungan pekerjaan outdoor.

Outdoor work carries a risk of heat-related illness due to direct exposure to extreme solar radiation. One potential mitigation strategy involves implementing cooling interventions during work breaks (interactivity cooling). However, research on the most effective cooling methods remains limited. Therefore, further exploration is necessary to determine the optimal body cooling strategy for outdoor workers, considering combinations of internal cooling (cold water ingestion) and external cooling (forearm immersion, wet towel) with the use of a fan.

This study involved 12 male subjects (age 24.17 ± 0.76 years) who performed physical activity on a treadmill at an intensity equivalent to 70% HRmax for 90 minutes while wearing coveralls. The experimental protocol consisted of five phases: baseline (10 minutes), activity 1 (30 minutes), interactivity cooling (10 minutes), activity 2 (30 minutes), and post-cooling (10 minutes). Environmental conditions were simulated to resemble outdoor work environments with an air temperature of 33.4 ± 0.01°C; relative humidity of 70.4 ± 0.01%; WBGT of 29.37 ± 1.04°C; thermal radiation of 635.08 ± 53.86 W/m²; and air speed of 0.23 m/s. The experiment included conditions of mineral water consumption at 28°C with a volume of ±7 ml/kg body mass (CON), cold water ingestion combined with a fan (CWI+FAN), forearm immersion combined with a fan and mineral water consumption at 28°C with a volume of ±7 ml/kg body mass (FI+FAN), and a wet towel combined with a fan and mineral water consumption at 28°C with a volume of ±7 ml/kg body mass (WT+FAN).

The results of this study demonstrated that all three body cooling methods, CWI+FAN, FI+FAN, and WT+FAN, were effective in reducing heat strain. Nevertheless, FI+FAN yielded more consistent results as it not only reduced heat strain during the interactivity cooling and post-cooling phases but also maintained body stability during the activity 2 phase (p < 0>

Kata Kunci : outdoor workers, heat strain, interactivity cooling, post cooling, forearm immersion, cold water ingestion, wet towel cooling