The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) is launching a new mobile app to help outdoor workers assess and manage heat stress risks. The AIHA Heat Stress Mobile App is currently in its open beta testing phase and is set to be officially released in September 2024. The app can assess weather data throughout North, Central, and South America, and plans are underway to ensure it is functional globally.

The app is being developed in response to the increasing health risks posed by extreme heat, particularly for outdoor workers. With experts predicting that Summer 2024 will break heat records across the country, AIHA is working to provide a tool that can help workers and employers better understand and mitigate these risks.

AIHA’s new app is being developed in collaboration with East Carolina University and is being tested by the organization’s Thermal Stress Working Group. The app will allow users to input information about their specific work conditions, including location, workload intensity, clothing type, and sun exposure. Using this data, the app will calculate the user’s Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) and associated heat stress risk level.

In addition to providing real-time risk assessments, the app will also deliver personalized health recommendations and alerts based on the user’s risk level. This includes guidance on when to take breaks, hydrate, and seek medical attention for heat-related illnesses.

AIHA is encouraging outdoor workers and employers to participate in the app’s open beta testing phase and provide feedback on its functionality. The organization is particularly interested in hearing from users about how the app can be improved to better meet their needs.

“AIHA recognized the need to better protect workers from heat stress—which is why 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,” said Lawrence D. Sloan, CEO of AIHA.

The AIHA Heat Stress Mobile App is available for free on both iOS and Android devices.