Investigation of the Change in the Work Environment and in Thermal Comfort Satisfaction of the Natural Stone Industry Employees

Abstract

Natural stones have been widely used for buildings, works of art/structures, flooring, etc. since ancient times.
The fact that the stone can be used without the need for excessive processing, being directly extracted from the quarry,
shaped and used is perhaps one of the main reasons why we come across natural stones in many structures around the
world. Natural stones, which have been used in many buildings for thousands of years, need to be produced much more
with the increase in the human population. With the increase in production, the number of quarries and employees, and
the mechanization have brought many problems, such as accidents and occupational diseases. A person's performance is
proportional to his comfort. The comfort of the employee is directly related to the good health and safety conditions in
the working environment. One of the most important factors determining human comfort in the working environment is
thermal comfort. One of the seasonal challenges faced by those working in natural stone quarries is extremely hot or cold
weather. In this study, the thermal comfort conditions of the workers in the natural stone quarry and natural stone
processing plant were investigated