This wearable device is helping workers stay safe in extreme heat

It’s noon, and the temperature is soaring above 50°C. In many countries, this would trigger a heat warning, but in Dubai’s blistering summer, it’s just another regular day. For workers at an aluminum smelter, conditions can be even more extreme.

At Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), metal is produced in a process that reaches temperatures of up to 950°C. Employees at the Dubai smelter are well accustomed to intense heat, often working in open warehouses that can exceed 58°C during the summer months.

Each day at EGA starts with staff donning heat-resistant overalls, helmets, goggles, and safety boots. Since June, 50 workers have also been testing a wearable tech device, as part of a trial that will wrap up later this month.

The device, a thin rectangular panel attached to a band, is worn on the worker’s upper arm. Sensors on the panel track heart rate, skin temperature, activity level, and sweat output. This data is then used to predict the worker’s core body temperature, providing insights into their internal heat levels.

Developed by the American company Kenzen, this wearable device helps prevent workers from overheating. When the core body temperature exceeds 38°C, the device vibrates and sends a notification to the user’s phone, signaling it’s time to take a break, just before heat exhaustion symptoms are likely to begin.

While other personal heat sensors exist, they are mostly designed for monitoring body temperature during sports or performance. Kenzen has tailored its device specifically for industrial use.

The effects of heat stress

Through a computer dashboard, managers at the EGA plant can monitor the overall health of their team. However, to ensure privacy, the information they can access about each worker is limited.

'If there’s a potential safety issue or someone requires immediate attention, supervisors are provided only with the necessary data to intervene, and nothing more,' explains Kyle Hubregtse, Vice President of Commercial Operations at Kenzen.

The device was launched in May 2020, and since then, Kenzen has collaborated with companies across various industries, including firefighting, construction, mining, and manufacturing, to implement this technology in the workplace.

The International Labour Organization highlights heat stress as a significant issue affecting over 1 billion agricultural workers and 66 million textile workers worldwide. It projects that by 2030, the UAE will lose more than 2% of its GDP due to heat stress. As a result of climate change, global heat stress will lead to a loss equivalent to at least 80 million full-time jobs by that year.

Salman Abdulla, EGA’s Executive Vice President of Health, Safety, and Environment, states that the device acts as an 'extra layer of protection' against heat stress, complementing existing safety measures already in place.

'Even without the device, if workers notice early signs of heat stress, there are procedures to follow, such as heading to a hydration station or cooling room,' says Abdulla.

Abdulla highlights that the primary advantage of the device is its ability to provide real-time data that can act preventively, alerting workers when they are overheating, even before they are aware of it themselves.

'The device objectively monitors their health status, and if a worker is distracted or not thinking clearly, it gives an early warning that they may be entering a heat stress condition,' he adds.

Abdulla emphasizes the importance of raising awareness on the issue and inspiring other companies to adopt similar safety measures. 'Our goal is not just to test the device for our own benefit, but to help others learn from our experience,' he says.

'Thermal stress is a completely preventable condition, provided you have the right tools in place – and that's the vision, to ensure everyone has access to the technology that can prevent it,' he adds.