As experts predict summer 2024 will shatter heat records across the country, a new heat stress mobile app is now available during the beta testing phase to help workers — and their employers — monitor daily heat stress risk and offer tips to cool down and stay safe.

Available as a free download on both iOS and Android platforms, the new AIHA Heat Stress Mobile App differentiates from other apps in its approach, based on an adjusted Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) — which accounts for air temperature, humidity, and wind — as well as user-inputted factors. Other heat stress apps calculate heat index, which is the “feels like” temperature.

“As the climate continues to change, AIHA recognized the need to better protect workers from heat stress — which is why our team of occupational and environmental health and safety experts worked so diligently to develop an app that can more accurately gauge heat stress risks in real time unlike any tool offered previously,” said Lawrence D. Sloan, CEO of AIHA. “We encourage outdoor workers and employers, large and small, to test our new app during this beta phase and provide us with feedback to help us fine-tune the app’s functionality to better protect workers from heat-related illnesses.”

Developed by leading heat safety experts from AIHA’s Thermal Stress Working Group and in partnership with East Carolina University, the AIHA Heat Stress Mobile App is available for open beta testing before a broader application launch expected in September 2024.

The AIHA Heat Stress Mobile App allows users to input information that will factor into their overall heat stress risk, including:

• Location (multiple locations can be selected)
• Intensity of workload (users can select light, moderate, heavy, or very heavy)
• Clothing type (users can choose from six different options)
• Cloud coverage (degree of sun exposure)
• Preferred language (English, Spanish, French, or Portuguese)

From the data provided, along with data from the local National Weather Service, the app calculates the user’s WBGT and associated heat stress risk level. Based on this calculated risk, the app delivers important notifications and reminders, with a timer function that alerts users when it is recommended to rest and hydrate; recommended heat stress prevention measures; warning signs of heat-related illness; and first aid recommendations to assist a worker in distress.

“The AIHA app supports not only the outdoor workers who are monitoring their own heat-related risks, but it can also be used by managers who are able to input locations manually to track working conditions in real time,” said Margaret C. Morrissey-Basler, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Health Sciences at Providence College and Chair of AIHA’s Thermal Stress Working Group. “This allows managers to make decisions about the impact heat has on their workers’ health and safety and adjust workloads accordingly.”

While the new app monitors WBGT in real time, another distinguishing feature is the ability to forecast WBGT up to five days in the future, which can help employers plan and adjust their work schedules, Dr. Morrissey-Basler noted.

Dr. Morrissey-Basler’s research has shown that workers experiencing heat stress do not perform their jobs as efficiently as workers not impacted by this type of heat exposure. In addition, recent research has shown that there are an average of more than 700 heat-related fatalities per year in the United States, making environmental heat exposure the leading cause of weather-related deaths.

While both the AIHA Heat Stress Mobile App and the Heat Safety Tool released by OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in 2017 have several similar features, a significant difference is that the OSHA/NIOSH app calculates heat risk based on the heat index rather than the more accurate WBGT. The AIHA Heat Stress Mobile App is not a replacement for the OSHA/NIOSH app, but the new app utilizing the WBGT is a more advanced version that both employees and employers can use, with additional tools designed to calculate high and extreme heat stress risks more accurately for workload types.

The app can assess weather data throughout North, Central, and South America, and plans are underway to ensure its functionality worldwide.

Dr. Morrissey-Basler noted that exposure to extreme heat can result in occupational illnesses caused by heat stress, including heat stroke, heat exhaustion, cardiac events, kidney injury, or even death. Heat can also increase workers’ risk of injuries, as it may result in sweaty palms, fogged-up safety glasses, or dizziness, and may reduce brain function responsible for reasoning ability.

As part of AIHA’s ongoing commitment to raising awareness of the dangers of occupational heat stress, new free resources devoted to workplace heat stress were recently added to its website (healthierworkplaces.org).

A separate section for employees outlines personal risk factors for heat-related injuries or illnesses on the job, tools to assess personal fluid needs, and important warning signs and symptoms of exertional heat stroke. In addition, employers can find strategies to establish evidence-based heat stress protocols designed to safeguard both indoor and outdoor workers.