Device helps professionals beat extreme heat

It’s midday and temperatures are rising above 50 degrees Celsius. In many countries this would trigger a heat alert, but in the scorching summer of Dubai , it’s just another day. And for workers at an aluminum foundry, it can get even hotter.

At Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA), the metal is produced using a process where temperatures can reach 950 degrees Celsius. Employees at the Dubai foundry are used to the intense heat, working in open warehouses that can reach 58 degrees Celsius in the summer months.

Every day at EGA starts with employees wearing weatherproof coveralls, hard hats, goggles and safety boots. But since June, 50 workers are also using a wearable technology device as part of a trial that is due to end this month.

Comprised of a thin rectangular panel and a band, the device is wrapped around the worker’s arm. Sensors on the dashboard measure heart rate, skin temperature, activity level and sweat production. Combined, this data is used to predict the user’s core body temperature – the amount of heat in a person’s blood and internal organs.

Created by the American company Kenzen, this device can help prevent workers from overheating. When the core body temperature is above 38 degrees Celsius, when symptoms of heat exhaustion are likely to begin, the device will vibrate and the user will receive a notification on their phone informing them that it is time to take a break.

While there are other personal heat sensors on the market, they mainly focus on monitoring body temperature for performance and sports. Kenzen says he adapted his device with industrial activities in mind.

Impact of heat stress

Through a dashboard displayed on a computer, EGA plant managers can also get an overview of their staff’s health, but to maintain workers’ privacy, the amount of information they have about their staff is limited.

“If there’s a potential security incident or an individual who needs an intervention, they (the supervisors) are only given the data to intervene, nothing more,” says Kyle Hubregtse, vice president of business operations at Kenzen.

The device was launched in May 2020, and Kenzen has partnered with companies from different industries to implement this technology in the workplace – from firefighters to people working in construction, mining and manufacturing.

According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), heat stress is a serious problem for many of the world’s 1 billion agricultural workers and 66 million textile workers, among others. The ILO estimates that the UAE will lose more than 2% of its GDP by 2030 as a result. The effects of climate change mean that worldwide, in that year, the impact of heat stress on productivity will represent a loss equivalent to at least 80 million full-time jobs.

EGA’s Executive Vice President of Health, Safety and Environment Salman Abdulla says the device serves as an “extra layer of protection” against heat stress that should be used in addition to other measures already in place.

“Even without the device, if you’re watching for yourself for the first tell-tale signs (of heat stress), there’s a set of procedures employees need to follow, like going to a hydration station or cooling room,” says Abdulla.

The device’s main benefit, according to Abdulla, is that its real-time data can be preventative, alerting workers that they are overheating even if they themselves don’t realize it.

“It is objectively measuring their health conditions (…) and if at any time a person is distracted, not thinking, it is an early sign that a person may be entering a heat stress condition,” he adds.

Abdulla says he believes it is important to raise awareness of the issue and encourage other companies to take similar safety precautions. “The idea is not just to test the device for ourselves, but for others to learn from us,” he notes.

“[O estresse térmico] It’s a 100% preventable condition, as long as you have the tools to do it – and that’s the hope and dream that everyone has access to the technology that can prevent it.”