Employers Use Wearable Devices to Measure Workers' Temperature
2024-09-05
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1On a hot summer day, workers recently worked to remove asbestos and hazardous waste at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.
2It is a former nuclear center that the government wants to tear down.
3The men wore full-body protective clothing and used respirators to clean the air they breathe.
4But the clothing does not protect them from high temperatures inside the building and inside their heavy clothing.
5On their arms, they wear devices that record their heart rates, movements and levels of exertion.
6The aim is to look for heat stress.
7Stephanie Miller oversees safety and health for the company responsible for the cleanup.
8She watches a computer to observe each worker's data looking for danger of overheating.
9Miller said, "Heat is one of the greatest risks that we have in this work, even though we deal with high radiation, hazardous chemicals and heavy metals."
10The issue of heat in the workplace has been getting more attention since a 2021 report from the research organization Atlantic Council.
11The group said the United States loses an average of $100 billion each year from "heat-induced" reductions in productivity.
12The Environmental Protection Agency said from 1992 to 2022, 986 people died from heat-related causes in U.S. workplaces.
13Employers have measured heat-related stress by checking employees' temperatures with thermometers.
14More recently, firefighters and military members have swallowed thermometer capsules.
15As the world experiences record-high temperatures, employers are exploring wearable technologies, like sensors and armbands, to help keep workers safe.
16They collect body temperature and warn workers to take breaks when they get too hot.
17Perrigo, a drug company, gave SlateSafety armbands to more than 100 employees at its baby food factory.
18The devices estimate the wearer's body temperature.
19A reading of 101.3 results in an alert, or a warning.
20Another device from the Massachusetts company Epicore Biosystems uses sweat to find out if a worker is overheating.
21Experts say the effectiveness of some devices remains unproven although research has shown that some successfully predict body temperature.
22A 2022 study said age, sex, and the amount of water in the air make it difficult to measure body temperature.
23However, some groups worry that employers will use the technology to punish people for taking needed breaks.
24Travis Parsons is with the Laborers' Health and Safety Fund of North America, a labor rights group.
25Parsons said, "Any time you put a device on a worker, they're very concerned about tracking, privacy, and how are you going to use this against me."
26United Cleanup Oak Ridge is the partnership that is responsible for cleaning up the nuclear reactor in Tennessee.
27The company says it uses medical examinations to make work decisions.
28Miller, the health supervisor said the company sent a few employees to see their personal doctors who found out they had heart problems.
29At Perrigo, safety official Rob Somers said supervisors look at information on people with several alerts and speak to them to see if there is "a reason why they're not able to work in the environment."
30Adam Schwartz is with the Electronic Frontiers Foundation, a civil liberties group based in San Francisco.
31He said the idea that companies could keep years of medical information on employees raises privacy concerns.
32He said the information could be used to withhold health plans or dismiss workers.
33Schwartz said, "The device could hurt...because you could raise your hand and say, 'I need a break,' and the boss could say, 'No, your heart rate is not elevated, go back to work.'"
34To reduce such risks, employers should permit workers to accept or reject using the devices.
35They could process only necessary information and delete the information in 24 hours, Schwartz said.
36Ikusei Misaka, a professor at Tokyo's Musashino University, raised another concern.
37Misaka noted that information gathered from wearing such devices could result in workers getting unwanted marketing for goods or services.
38I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1On a hot summer day, workers recently worked to remove asbestos and hazardous waste at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. It is a former nuclear center that the government wants to tear down. 2The men wore full-body protective clothing and used respirators to clean the air they breathe. But the clothing does not protect them from high temperatures inside the building and inside their heavy clothing. On their arms, they wear devices that record their heart rates, movements and levels of exertion. The aim is to look for heat stress. 3Stephanie Miller oversees safety and health for the company responsible for the cleanup. She watches a computer to observe each worker's data looking for danger of overheating. 4Miller said, "Heat is one of the greatest risks that we have in this work, even though we deal with high radiation, hazardous chemicals and heavy metals." 5Heat in the workplace 6The issue of heat in the workplace has been getting more attention since a 2021 report from the research organization Atlantic Council. The group said the United States loses an average of $100 billion each year from "heat-induced" reductions in productivity. 7The Environmental Protection Agency said from 1992 to 2022, 986 people died from heat-related causes in U.S. workplaces. 8Employers have measured heat-related stress by checking employees' temperatures with thermometers. More recently, firefighters and military members have swallowed thermometer capsules. 9As the world experiences record-high temperatures, employers are exploring wearable technologies, like sensors and armbands, to help keep workers safe. They collect body temperature and warn workers to take breaks when they get too hot. 10Perrigo, a drug company, gave SlateSafety armbands to more than 100 employees at its baby food factory. The devices estimate the wearer's body temperature. A reading of 101.3 results in an alert, or a warning. 11Another device from the Massachusetts company Epicore Biosystems uses sweat to find out if a worker is overheating. 12Experts say the effectiveness of some devices remains unproven although research has shown that some successfully predict body temperature. A 2022 study said age, sex, and the amount of water in the air make it difficult to measure body temperature. 13Privacy concerns 14However, some groups worry that employers will use the technology to punish people for taking needed breaks. 15Travis Parsons is with the Laborers' Health and Safety Fund of North America, a labor rights group. Parsons said, "Any time you put a device on a worker, they're very concerned about tracking, privacy, and how are you going to use this against me." 16United Cleanup Oak Ridge is the partnership that is responsible for cleaning up the nuclear reactor in Tennessee. The company says it uses medical examinations to make work decisions. Miller, the health supervisor said the company sent a few employees to see their personal doctors who found out they had heart problems. 17At Perrigo, safety official Rob Somers said supervisors look at information on people with several alerts and speak to them to see if there is "a reason why they're not able to work in the environment." 18Adam Schwartz is with the Electronic Frontiers Foundation, a civil liberties group based in San Francisco. He said the idea that companies could keep years of medical information on employees raises privacy concerns. He said the information could be used to withhold health plans or dismiss workers. 19Schwartz said, "The device could hurt...because you could raise your hand and say, 'I need a break,' and the boss could say, 'No, your heart rate is not elevated, go back to work.'" 20To reduce such risks, employers should permit workers to accept or reject using the devices. They could process only necessary information and delete the information in 24 hours, Schwartz said. 21Ikusei Misaka, a professor at Tokyo's Musashino University, raised another concern. Misaka noted that information gathered from wearing such devices could result in workers getting unwanted marketing for goods or services. 22I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 23Cathy Bussewitz reported this story for the Associated Press. Mario Ritter, Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. 24___________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26hazardous -adj. dangerous 27-induced -adj. -produced 28capsule -n. a rounded piece of medicine or medical device meant to be swallowed 29sensor -n. an electrical device that measures something in the physical world and turns it into an electrical signal 30armband -n. something that is worn on the arm that can have a device attached to it 31tracking -n. following something or someone to find out more about it 32elevate -v. to lift something up or bring it to a higher level 33delete -v. to completely remove something so that it is no longer there 34We want to hear from you. 35Our comment policy is here.