9
methane (CH4) present in the atmosphere, which was to
be expected. It is important to note that individual tol-
erance to chemical exposure can vary, and certain people
may be more sensitive to its effects. Prolonged or repeated
exposure to chemicals at levels exceeding the recommended
exposure limits can lead to respiratory irritation, eye irrita-
tion, coughing, and other long-term health issues.
Qualitative Assessment
The qualitative assessment was undertaken using a ques-
tionnaire that addressed the participant’s overall experience
with wearable health monitoring devices before and after
the trial. As seen in Figure 10, while most participants had
no prior experience with using a wearable sensor for health
monitoring before the trial, they had a positive experience
throughout the trial and found the technology valuable and
comfortable enouagh to be willing to use it in the future.
CONCLUSIONS
In this study, the feasibility of using wearable technology to
monitor the health and safety of workers in high-risk envi-
ronments, such as underground mining, was investigated.
The main objectives of this effort were to demon-
strate that wearable sensors can: (1) withstand durability
and human factors requirements (e.g., high heat and com-
fort during extended wear), (2) provide real-time analytics
and telemetry to produce valuable insights to workers and
health and safety leaders alike when paired with a robust
software platform, and (3) be viewed favorably by workers
as a real-time safety monitoring solution. The trial results
show that the wearable sensors can withstand extreme envi-
ronmental conditions, the real-time analytics can provide
real-time monitoring and alarms, and the use of wearable
sensors was deemed acceptable by the participants.
Biometric data acquired from the study participants
using the wearable sensors, their medical history and medi-
cation use, their daily habits (tobacco use, alcohol use,
daily exercise, sleep regimen, TC), in addition to the data
received from the chemical sensor, as well as information
from local air channels, provided a holistic view of the situ-
ation in which workers are operating. This could poten-
tially enable a health supervisor or manager to make the
right decision at any moment for all individuals in the
team. While the study would have benefited greatly from
a simultaneous TC measured by a gold standard method,
such as an ingestible telemetric temperature capsule system,
due to limited resources, this was not possible. However,
the results showed in this paper are the estimated TC from
sequential HR using the ECTemp algorithm.
The qualitative data showed that while most partici-
pants had little to no experience with using wearable tech-
nology and a health monitoring mobile application as part
of their daily work routine, they had a positive experience
during the trial and were willing to wear wearable sensors as
part of their daily work routines.
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The small sample size of this initial effort limited the ability
to make broad claims, however, the initial results regard-
ing the use of wearable sensors and a real-time monitoring
system for monitoring key safety parameters, such as esti-
mated TC, ambient temperature and humidity, and nox-
ious gases, were promising.
A larger sample population would be needed to con-
firm these promising initial results.
While physiological monitoring of individuals is a
valuable tool for evaluating heat stress, it may not pro-
vide the real-time decision-making support essential
Figure 10. Summary of the user feedback collected using the pre- and post-trial survey
methane (CH4) present in the atmosphere, which was to
be expected. It is important to note that individual tol-
erance to chemical exposure can vary, and certain people
may be more sensitive to its effects. Prolonged or repeated
exposure to chemicals at levels exceeding the recommended
exposure limits can lead to respiratory irritation, eye irrita-
tion, coughing, and other long-term health issues.
Qualitative Assessment
The qualitative assessment was undertaken using a ques-
tionnaire that addressed the participant’s overall experience
with wearable health monitoring devices before and after
the trial. As seen in Figure 10, while most participants had
no prior experience with using a wearable sensor for health
monitoring before the trial, they had a positive experience
throughout the trial and found the technology valuable and
comfortable enouagh to be willing to use it in the future.
CONCLUSIONS
In this study, the feasibility of using wearable technology to
monitor the health and safety of workers in high-risk envi-
ronments, such as underground mining, was investigated.
The main objectives of this effort were to demon-
strate that wearable sensors can: (1) withstand durability
and human factors requirements (e.g., high heat and com-
fort during extended wear), (2) provide real-time analytics
and telemetry to produce valuable insights to workers and
health and safety leaders alike when paired with a robust
software platform, and (3) be viewed favorably by workers
as a real-time safety monitoring solution. The trial results
show that the wearable sensors can withstand extreme envi-
ronmental conditions, the real-time analytics can provide
real-time monitoring and alarms, and the use of wearable
sensors was deemed acceptable by the participants.
Biometric data acquired from the study participants
using the wearable sensors, their medical history and medi-
cation use, their daily habits (tobacco use, alcohol use,
daily exercise, sleep regimen, TC), in addition to the data
received from the chemical sensor, as well as information
from local air channels, provided a holistic view of the situ-
ation in which workers are operating. This could poten-
tially enable a health supervisor or manager to make the
right decision at any moment for all individuals in the
team. While the study would have benefited greatly from
a simultaneous TC measured by a gold standard method,
such as an ingestible telemetric temperature capsule system,
due to limited resources, this was not possible. However,
the results showed in this paper are the estimated TC from
sequential HR using the ECTemp algorithm.
The qualitative data showed that while most partici-
pants had little to no experience with using wearable tech-
nology and a health monitoring mobile application as part
of their daily work routine, they had a positive experience
during the trial and were willing to wear wearable sensors as
part of their daily work routines.
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The small sample size of this initial effort limited the ability
to make broad claims, however, the initial results regard-
ing the use of wearable sensors and a real-time monitoring
system for monitoring key safety parameters, such as esti-
mated TC, ambient temperature and humidity, and nox-
ious gases, were promising.
A larger sample population would be needed to con-
firm these promising initial results.
While physiological monitoring of individuals is a
valuable tool for evaluating heat stress, it may not pro-
vide the real-time decision-making support essential
Figure 10. Summary of the user feedback collected using the pre- and post-trial survey