Hard hat heart rate sensor
PARTNERS are being sought to take part in workplace environment trials of a new wearable sensor array for the monitoring of heat strain – the term used to encompass a range of physiological responses that the body uses to regulate its temperature, such as increasing the heart rate.
The International Standards Organisation (ISO) publishes standards to guide the monitoring of heat stress and heat strain in the work place. Of specific relevance is ISO9886 – Evaluation of thermal strain by physiological measurement – which includes maximum heart rates which should not be exceeded.
The human body regulates itself to maintain a core body temperature of approximately 37°C, but deviation from this temperature can occur when a worker is exposed to heat, which may lead to heat illness or, in extreme cases, heat stroke.
Although commercial equipment is available for the continuous monitoring of heart rate, such devices require workers to position the sensor appropriately, which can be time-consuming. As a result, The University of Nottingham and Rio Tinto have developed a new type of heart rate sensor for use in the workplace.
Mounted in a standard safety hard hat – a standard safety item for most at-risk workers, the new sensor uses a technique called photoplethysmography to detect changes in blood volume caused by the beating of the heart and thereby allows the heart rate to be determined.
The advantage of the new sensor is that it does not need the worker’s attention, nor does it require the introduction of new equipment into the workplace. The worker simply wears his or her hard hat as normal and their heart rate is monitored unobtrusively.
For further information or to participate in the trials, contact Alan Gibbon at MIRO using the contact form below.
The International Standards Organisation (ISO) publishes standards to guide the monitoring of heat stress and heat strain in the work place. Of specific relevance is ISO9886 – Evaluation of thermal strain by physiological measurement – which includes maximum heart rates which should not be exceeded.
The human body regulates itself to maintain a core body temperature of approximately 37°C, but deviation from this temperature can occur when a worker is exposed to heat, which may lead to heat illness or, in extreme cases, heat stroke.
Although commercial equipment is available for the continuous monitoring of heart rate, such devices require workers to position the sensor appropriately, which can be time-consuming. As a result, The University of Nottingham and Rio Tinto have developed a new type of heart rate sensor for use in the workplace.
Mounted in a standard safety hard hat – a standard safety item for most at-risk workers, the new sensor uses a technique called photoplethysmography to detect changes in blood volume caused by the beating of the heart and thereby allows the heart rate to be determined.
The advantage of the new sensor is that it does not need the worker’s attention, nor does it require the introduction of new equipment into the workplace. The worker simply wears his or her hard hat as normal and their heart rate is monitored unobtrusively.
For further information or to participate in the trials, contact Alan Gibbon at MIRO using the contact form below.
