In Oak Ridge, Tennessee, dozens of workers of the United States Air Force worked with hazardous waste, asbestos, and pipes while being tasked with the task of decontaminating and preparing the defunct nuclear facility for demolition during a hot summer day.
Several crew members who were wearing coveralls that covered them head-to-toe and were equipped with respirators, toiling in the heat inside a building without electricity, did not seem to be thinking much about it.
They wore armbands, which allowed them to measure their body temperature, their activity levels, and their level of exertion to detect heat stress.
At Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Stephanie Miller was watching the computer screen, which was being used by a worker for a U.S. government contract doing cleanup work. It was equipped with a colour-coding system that showed little bubbles that indicated how each worker was doing and warned her if any of the workers were in danger of overheating.
As temperatures across the globe reach record levels, employers are researching wearable technologies that can keep workers safe as temperatures rise. Using biometrics, the new devices could determine a person's core body temperature - an elevated one, as shown in this study, is a sign of heat exhaustion - and prompt workers to take cool-down breaks as soon as possible.
According to the Atlantic Council, there is a potential cost of approximately 100 billion dollars a year for the U.S. to suffer from heat-related losses in labor productivity, due to heat-induced exposures that were originally designed for athletes, firefighters, and military personnel.
Despite these concerns, there are still reservations about how the health information collected from employees will be secured and managed. The Canadian Union of Public Employees is concerned that managers might use the system as a means to punish their employees who need breaks.
Workers at the Tennessee cleanup site have been wearing heat stress monitors made by SlateSafety, a company from Atlanta, which was contracted by United Cleanup Oak Ridge to wear the equipment. A government contractor of the company, Brown Electric Company, is regulated by the United States Department of Energy, which has rules in place to keep workers from being overheated at work.
The problem is that most U.S. workers do not have protections from extreme heat, since there is no federal regulation requiring such measures, and many vulnerable workers do not seek medical treatment or have the courage to express their concerns.
There was a proposal proposed by the Biden administration in July to protect 36 million workers from heat-related illnesses by passing a new rule.
EPA estimates that over the next decade, there will be 986 deaths in the U.S. from heat exposure due to excessive temperatures, based on the report published by the agency. Using expert opinion, it is possible that the actual number of deaths could be higher since a coroner might not list the cause of death as heat if a roofer falls to his death in the sweltering heat.
To observe workers in distress caused by heat-related factors, employers have used thermometers to check the temperature of their employees, sometimes from a distance.
In more recent years, firefighters and members of the military have consumed thermometer capsules as a form of self-medication.
The statement was saying that we could not do that at Perrigo as our work environment was just not conducive that way," said Rob Somers, global director of environment, health and safety at the consumer products company.
In a recent initiative aimed at improving workplace safety, over 100 employees at an infant formula manufacturing plant were equipped with SlateSafety armbands. These devices are designed to estimate the wearer's core body temperature, triggering an alert when a reading of 101.3 degrees Fahrenheit is detected.
This proactive approach seeks to mitigate the risks associated with heat-related illnesses in industrial environments.
Another company utilizing SlateSafety’s technology is a Cardinal Glass factory in Wisconsin, where the working conditions are particularly extreme. Four masons at this facility are tasked with maintaining a furnace that reaches temperatures as high as 3000 degrees Fahrenheit. According to Jeff Bechel, the company’s safety manager, these workers are often positioned directly in front of the furnace, exposing them to intense heat. Recognizing the potential hazards, Cardinal Glass invested $5,000 in five SlateSafety armbands, along with the necessary software and air-monitoring hardware.
Bechel anticipates that this investment will be financially prudent in the long run, citing an instance where an employee's two heat-related emergency room visits cost the company $15,000.
At United Cleanup Oak Ridge, the data collected from these sensors, combined with the results from annual medical examinations, is used to make informed decisions about work assignments, according to Miller, a company representative. In some cases, patterns in the data prompted the company to send employees to their physicians, leading to the discovery of previously undiagnosed heart conditions.
Similarly, at Perrigo, management analyzes the data from the SlateSafety armbands to identify employees who receive multiple alerts.
According to Somers, a manager at the company, these individuals are then approached to discuss whether there are underlying reasons that may prevent them from working safely in their current environment. To protect employee privacy, the information is anonymized before it is entered into the company’s software system, being organized by identification numbers rather than names.
Despite these advancements in workplace safety, there are concerns regarding privacy and the potential misuse of medical data. Adam Schwartz, the privacy litigation director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, highlighted the risks associated with prolonged data retention by employers. He cautioned that such data could be used against employees, for example, to remove them from a health plan or even terminate their employment. Schwartz also expressed concern that the technology might undermine workers' autonomy, as employers might deny breaks by relying on data rather than acknowledging an employee's reported discomfort.
To mitigate these risks, Schwartz recommends that employers allow workers to opt in or out of wearing monitoring devices, process only the data that is strictly necessary, and delete the collected information within 24 hours.
Moreover, Ikusei Misaka, a professor at Tokyo's Musashino University, warned that the use of such devices could lead to workers being exposed to unwanted marketing. In response to these concerns, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) advises employers to implement comprehensive plans that not only incorporate wearable devices but also ensure access to adequate breaks, shade, and cool water.
Doug Trout, a medical officer at NIOSH, emphasized the importance of training workers to recognize the signs of heat-related illnesses and administering first aid when necessary. While wearable devices can contribute to reducing heat stress, Trout noted that further research is needed to evaluate their accuracy and effectiveness.
Overall, while wearable technology like SlateSafety armbands presents a promising tool for
