Uses
The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists publishes threshold limit values (TLVs) that have been adopted by many governments for use in the workplace. The process for determining the WBGT is also described in ISO 7243, Hot Environments - Estimation of the Heat Stress on Working Man, Based on the WBGT Index. The American College of Sports Medicine bases its guidelines on the intensity of sport practices based on WBGT.
In hot areas, some US military installations display a flag to indicate the heat category based on the WBGT. The military publishes guidelines for water intake and physical activity level for acclimated and unacclimated individuals in different uniforms based on the heat category.
| Category | WBGT °F | WBGT °C | Flag color |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | <= 79.9 | <= 26.6 | White |
| 2 | 80-84.9 | 26.7-29.3 | Green |
| 3 | 85-87.9 | 29.4-31.0 | Yellow |
| 4 | 88-89.9 | 31.1-32.1 | Red |
| 5 | => 90 | => 32.2 | Black |
The heat index used by the National Weather Service and the humidex used by the Meteorological Service of Canada are also measures of perceived heat, but they do not account for the effects of radiation.
Read more about this topic: Wet Bulb Globe Temperature