FALLS CHURCH, VA -- With experts predicting Summer 2024 will shatter heat records across the country, countless outdoor workers are facing significant health risks from heat hazards on the job. To address the increased risk of heat illnesses posed by rising temperatures, AIHA announced the availability of its new “AIHA Heat Stress Mobile App” during its Open Beta testing phase this summer.

“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 OEHS heat safety experts from the AIHA’s Thermal Stress Working Group and in partnership with East Carolina University, the AIHA Heat Stress Mobile App is now available as a free download on both iOS and Android platforms. The AIHA Heat Stress Mobile App is currently available for open beta testing before a broader application launch expected in September 2024. AIHA has developed detailed instructions for users on how to provide feedback. This easy-to-use, free tool 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, very heavy)
• Clothing type (uses can choose from six different options)
• Cloud coverage (degree of sun exposure)
• Preferred language (English, Spanish, French, or Portuguese)

From the data provided and using local weather data from the user’s local National Weather Service, the app calculates the user’s Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT)—the gold standard for evaluating heat stress that incorporates air temperature, relative humidity, wind, and radiant heat—and associated heat stress risk level. Based on this calculated risk, the app delivers important notifications and reminders, including health recommendations such as rest breaks and water consumption based on an individual’s risk level, 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 the 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.”

Dr. Morrissey-Basler’s research has shown that workers experiencing heat stress do not perform their job as efficiently as workers not impacted by this type of heat exposure, which can negatively impact an organization’s bottom line. In addition, recent research has shown that there are more than 700 heat-related fatalities per year on average 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 NIOSH in 2017 have several similar features, a significant difference is that the OSHA/NIOSH app calculates heat risk based on the heat index or “feel like temperature” rather than the more accurate WBGT. The AIHA Heat Stress Mobile App is not a replacement of 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.

While the new app monitors the WBGT in real time, another distinguishing feature is its ability to forecast the WBGT up to five days in the future. Dr. Morrissey-Basler noted that the ability to determine the projected WBGT ahead of time can help employers plan and adjust their work schedules accordingly. The app can assess weather data throughout North, Central, and South America, and plans are underway to ensure it is functional globally.

In addition to providing a timer function that alerts users when it is recommended to rest and hydrate, the AIHA Heat Stress Mobile App relays signs and symptoms of heat-related illness. Dr. Morrissey-Basler added 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, dizziness, and may reduce brain function responsible for reasoning ability – creating additional hazards.

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 Healthier Workplaces website. A separate section for employees outlines personal risk factors that increase one’s risk of 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.