Case Study: Solving Heat Exposure Problems from Industrial Ovens

Problem and Impact

1. Environment:
   • Closed-system baking room
   • Two employees stationed at the oven
   • During operation, oven surface temperature reaches 300-350°C
2. Effects on Employees:
   • Employees sitting near the oven experience fatigue
   • Frequent discomfort and illness

Causes

1. Oven Design:
   • Internal heat insulation present, but no external heat insulation
   • Oven surface area approximately 8 square meters
   • Surface temperature exceeds 350°C
2. Ventilation System:
   • Inadequate air supply system for employees

Improvements

1. Heat Management:
   • Install external insulation on all sides of the oven, including hot air ducts
2. Human Resource Management:
   • Recommend increasing the number of employees per shift
   • Aim to reduce heat exposure time for each employee
3. Cooling System Improvement:
   • Recommend upgrading individual cooling systems to correlate with room temperature

Results of Improvements

• Oven surface temperature reduced from 300-350°C to only 45.8°C

Lessons Learned

• Managing heat at the source (oven) is an effective method to reduce risks and improve the working environment
• Problem-solving should cover both engineering aspects (insulation installation) and management aspects (work scheduling)
• Improving individual cooling systems is another method to mitigate heat impacts

Additional Recommendations

• Regularly monitor and evaluate employee health, especially in the initial period after improvements
• Develop a regular maintenance plan for heat insulation and cooling systems
• Consider installing a continuous temperature monitoring system in the work area to monitor and alert if temperatures exceed set limits
• Train employees on heat hazards, how to recognize abnormal symptoms, and basic first aid
• Consider using technology or automated systems to reduce the need for employees to be near the oven for extended periods
• Study the feasibility of utilizing waste heat in other factory processes
• Consider improving the design of future baking rooms, taking into account heat ventilation and radiation protection from the design stage.