Towards real-time thermal stress prediction systems for workers

Abstract

Exposure to extreme temperatures in workplaces implies serious physical hazards to workers. In addition, a poorly acclimatized worker can have reduced performance and alertness. It may therefore be more vulnerable to the risk of accidents and injuries. Due to the incompatibility of standards and regulations with some work environments and a lack of thermal exchange in many personal protective equipment, heat stress remains among the most common physical risks in many industrial sectors. Furthermore, conventional methods of measuring physiological parameters in order to calculate personal thermophysiological constraints are not practical to use during work tasks. However, the emergence of wearable technologies can contribute to real-time measurement of body temperature and the biometric signals needed to assess thermophysiological constraints while actively working. Thus, the present study was carried out in order to scrutinize the current knowledge of these types of technologies by analyzing the available systems and the advances made in previous studies, as well as to discuss the efforts required to develop devices for the prevention of the occurrence of heat stress in real time.

Keywords: Real-time data; Sensor; Thermal stress; Thermophysiological constraint; Wearable technology.