Climatic stress in coalmining in Germany: occupational health aspects.

Coalmining in Germany is performed in depths as low as 1400 m. Owing to an average thermal gradient of 30 m/K the work underground is burdened by heat stress to which occupational medicine must pay special attention. Therefore heat stress standards and mining safety regulations have been set up not only for coal production but also for mine rescue activities. This specific situation of heat burdened work in the coal mining industry in Germany is discussed under the specific aspects of German coalmining regulations (Klima-Bergverordnung und Plan für das Grubenrettungswesen).