The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) has rolled out a beta version of its new heat stress mobile app, designed to protect outdoor workers, including those in the drilling industry, from the dangers of heat stress.
As AIHA prepares for the app’s official launch in September, they are seeking valuable feedback from employers and workers to fine-tune its functionality. For drillers, who often work in challenging environments under extreme conditions, this app could be a game-changer. Here’s how it works and why your input is crucial.
What is the AIHA Heat Stress Mobile App?
Developed by AIHA’s Thermal Stress Working Group in collaboration with East Carolina University, the heat stress app is engineered to help outdoor workers manage heat exposure effectively. The app allows users to input various factors such as location, workload intensity, clothing type, and cloud coverage, enabling the calculation of the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT). This metric takes into account air temperature, relative humidity, wind, and radiant heat to provide a comprehensive assessment of heat stress risks.
Based on these inputs, the app delivers critical notifications and reminders, including recommendations for rest breaks, water intake, and heat stress prevention measures. Additionally, it provides first aid suggestions and highlights warning signs of heat-related illnesses. As AIHA CEO Lawrence D. Sloan explains, “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.”
How Can Drillers Benefit from the App?
For drillers, working in remote and often extreme environments, managing heat stress is a crucial part of ensuring safety on the job. The AIHA app could become an essential tool for daily operations. By providing real-time heat stress data based on local weather conditions, it can help drillers make informed decisions about work schedules, hydration, and rest breaks, minimizing the risk of heat-related incidents.
Why Your Feedback is Important
AIHA is currently in the beta phase of the app's development and is actively seeking feedback from users to improve its functionality before the official launch. For the drilling community, this is an opportunity to shape a tool that could significantly enhance workplace safety. Drillers can provide insights on how well the app calculates heat stress in their specific work environments, the practicality of the recommendations provided, and any additional features that might be beneficial.
By testing the app in the field and sharing your experiences, you can contribute to creating a robust tool that caters to the unique challenges faced by drillers. AIHA is particularly interested in feedback on the accuracy of the WBGT calculations, the clarity of health recommendations, and any technical issues that arise during use.
Call to Action
Drillers, we encourage you to download the AIHA heat stress app—available for free on iOS and Android platforms—and start using it in your daily operations. Your feedback is vital to refining the app to ensure it meets the needs of those working in the most demanding conditions.
Once you’ve had the chance to test it out, share your thoughts and experiences with The Driller on our social media channels! We’re planning to do an in-depth app review in the future, and your insights will be invaluable.
Don’t miss the opportunity to have your voice heard in the development of this app—download it, use it, and share your feedback with both AIHA and The Driller community. Together, we can ensure that this app is as effective and practical as possible for all outdoor workers!
