Between 1992 and 2017, 815 American workers died and another 70,000 were seriously injured from heat stress, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. But new wearable tech could make laboring outdoors much safer.

American company Kenzen developed a device that attaches to a strap a worker can wear on the upper arm, similar to one a runner might use to carry a phone. It measures the wearer’s core body temperature; heart rate; how much the worker sweats; and level of activity. The device indicates in real time if the wearer is in danger of heat stroke and is used as a preventative tool.

A signal sent to the wearer and any nearby health and safety managers indicates the worker needs a break. The detailed health information, however, is sent to only the wearer in order to maintain privacy. The data is stored in the cloud so companies can analyze patterns and adapt work schedules.

UAE-based Emirates Global Aluminium ran a trial on the device with 50 employees in summer 2022, CNN reports.

Without these factors in place, wearable technology on its own cannot eliminate the risk of heat-related illness for people working outside.

– Salman Abdulla, Emirates Global Aluminium

Salman Abdulla. CREDIT: Emirates Global Aluminium

Though the data from the trial is still in review, the metal producer reports that the device did well maintaining connectivity in difficult areas and fared well in terms of comfort. Additionally, they were able to identify increases in susceptibility to heat-related illnesses at the end of the day and if the wearer was fatigued prior to beginning a shift.

The company managed zero heat-related illnesses so far in 2022 and will continue to examine what role the device played in this result. The first year without heat-related incidents for the company was 2019. Emirates Global Aluminium is the largest industrial company in the UAE outside of the oil and gas sector.

“This is complementary to the decades of work we have done on heat-stress, which focuses on providing workers with knowledge to actively care for themselves and others around them, empowering them to take action when they have a concern, and providing the tools and resources they need to take that action. Without these factors in place, wearable technology on its own cannot eliminate the risk of heat-related illness for people working outside,” Salman Abdulla, the company’s executive vice president for environment, health, safety and sustainability, tells KUST Review.

Wearable safety technology includes smart helmets, smart footwear, exoskeletons and smart safety vests.