Novel Health Risk Alert System for Occupational Safety in Hot Environments

The last century has seen a gradual increase in global average temperatures—a phenomenon that has come to be known as global warming. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has reported that 2020 was one of the three warmest years on record and that the global average temperature was ~1.2°C above preindustrial (1850–1900) levels [1] . Adverse effects on health resulting from global warming are important issues to consider, as health risks associated with such extreme heat are anticipated [2] . In fact, this warming has been shown to severely limit human activity in tropical and mid-latitude regions [3] , and in particular, outdoor and manual workers who are exposed to ambient heat during working hours are susceptible to increased health risks. Thus, workers should pay attention to their own physical conditions and proactively keep out of the heat to rest when uncomfortable. Additionally, supervisors must manage worker’s physical conditions and schedule regular breaks. Therefore, in this trial a new integrated system was developed to notify individuals at risk based on their thermal physiology. This method uses biological and environmental information obtained directly via wearable sensors and the estimated body core temperature collected on-ground cannot be measured wirelessly and noninvasively [4] .