Emirates Global Aluminum, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, recently announced the company has expanded the use of Kenzen, a wearable technology platform, to 350 employee volunteers to “Beat the Heat” this summer.
Heat-related illness is a hazard for anyone working outside in the UAE summer, and can be fatal if left untreated. It is, however, preventable. EGA has focused for more than a decade on eliminating heat-related illness in summer.
Kenzen’s wearable technology offers the potential to further protect outdoor workers in the UAE, by continuously reporting core body temperature, heart rate, activity, and other body indicators allowing both the wearer and EGA’s safety team to detect heat strain in the body before the early signs can be felt.
Despite industrial processes that generate further heat, and which must run and be tended around the clock, EGA achieved zero heat-related illnesses in 2019 and 2022. In 2021, EGA recorded two cases of heat-related illness requiring treatment at the company’s on-site medical centers. In both cases, the employees received rehydration via intravenous drips and fully recovered within hours.
“Heat-related illness is a serious threat to health and even life in our region, and increasingly around the world,” said Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, EGA CEO. “Our work has shown that heat-related illness is entirely preventable, even in challenging industrial environments like ours. Wearable technology offers the potential to protect people even more, and I am looking forward to the results of the wider trial we are conducting this summer.”
EGA‘s Beat the Heat program is a summer-long effort across the company’s operations. Employees are trained to detect the early signs of heat stress in themselves and others. EGA conducts hydration tests before and during shifts, and employees are encouraged to take regular breaks and cooling showers. Cooling booths, drinking stations, icemakers, and portable air-conditioning units in EGA production areas help keep people cool.
“We are delighted to support Emirates Global Aluminum in their mission to prioritize employee health and safety and contribute to cutting-edge research on thermal physiology,” said Kyle Hubregtse, Kenzen CEO. “By combining Kenzen’s wearable technology with EGA’s dedication to workforce well-being, we are setting new benchmarks in heat stress management and advancing the frontiers of occupational health.”
More info www.ega.ae/en
