Early Heat Stress Warning System for Site Work in Hot and Humid Environment

Heat stress is a common occupational health hazard in the construction industry which increases incident rates and even threatens life. To safeguard the wellbeing of workers, an early warning system has been developed to evaluate and monitor workers’ heat strain level in real time.

Incorporating several automated sensing devices (e.g. environmental sensors, smartphone) and a heat stress artificial intelligence engine, the system measures work demands, on-site environmental conditions and the physiological factors of workers, and correlates their combined effects with the risk of heat stress. The system can predict a worker’s heat strain level, and identify proper precautions against the hazards and risks in a hot and humid environment in real time. Once certain thresholds are triggered, health alert messages with suggestions of corresponding intervention measures will be sent to individual workers’ smartphones to prevent and reduce the harmful effects of heat exposure.