IMPROVEMENT OF THERMAL IMAGING CAMERA FOR ASSESSING HEAT FLOW IN WORKPLACES

Problem statement. In the modern world, where high technology and industrialization play a crucial role in many sectors, occupational safety and risk management in the workplace are becoming increasingly important issues. One of the most critical aspects of occupational safety is the study and control of the harmful effects of excessive heat and thermal radiation in the workplace. Excessive heat and thermal radiation can have serious negative consequences for the health and safety of workers. They can cause heat stress, burns, acute and chronic illnesses, and also increase the risk of accidents in the workplace. Therefore, it is important to have proper measuring instruments and methodologies for measuring these parameters. This helps to enhance the effectiveness of research and ensure an adequate level of safety in the workplace. It also enables safety and risk management professionals and novices to select the appropriate instruments for research methodologies. There are specific challenges and issues related to temperature, radiation, and thermal loads in workplaces. Existing research instruments and methodologies may be insufficiently effective or fail to meet the needs of engineers and researchers for accurately determining the level of thermal impact. The main objectives include – comprehensive comparison of various devices, their technical capabilities, and settings for studying the excessive impact of heat and thermal radiation in the workplace. Conclusion. Radiometers and thermal cameras are similar devices; however, the difference lies in the fact that radiometers measure the intensity of radiation in the visible, infrared, and radio frequency ranges and generate numerical data that can be processed and used for analysis. In contrast, thermal cameras visually display on the screen only the distribution of infrared radiation from the surfaces of objects. Radiometers and thermal cameras have a similar function of measuring thermal radiation but are used for different tasks and situations. Semiconductor thermocouples and thermistors are components of complex digital measuring devices but can also be used as standalone external temperature sensors.