Development of a Smart Work Site for Early Warning of Heat Stress

Abstract

Heat stress is a serious and important issue to be addressed during the work process in even moderate environments let alone under extreme heat and exertion situations. It can lead to deaths and injuries caused by heat stroke. The Western Australia’s resource industry sites in remote areas expose to hot and sometimes humid conditions, where the probabilities of experiencing heat stress injuries are more likely. Traditional safety management of heat stress mainly depends on the workers' awareness and behaviours. This project aims to develop a smart work site to manage workplace heat stress proactively, by integrating the functionality of Geographic Information System and Building Information Modelling. Cisco smart sensors will be applied to monitor the environmental conditions of the smart work site. The location of these smart sensors will be optimised by suitable spatial sampling methods. 3D spatial modelling will be used to simulate the 3D environmental conditions for the entire site. Furthermore, the locations will be monitored by Radio Frequency Identification Devices. This real-time monitoring and early warning system will safeguard the well-being of workers exposed to heat stress. The method developed in this study can also be applied to areas of smart city and smart campus for healthcare solutions.