VOA健康报道2024--Employers Use Wearable Devices to Measure Workers' Temperature

On a hot summer day, workers recently worked to remove asbestos and hazardous¹ waste at Oak Ridge² National Laboratory in Tennessee. It is a former nuclear center that the government wants to tear down.

The 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 exertion⁴. The aim is to look for heat stress.

Stephanie Miller⁵ oversees⁶ 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.

Miller 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."

Heat in the workplace

The 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.

The Environmental Protection Agency said from 1992 to 2022, 986 people died from heat-related causes in U.S. workplaces.

Employers have measured heat-related stress by checking employees' temperatures with thermometers. More recently, firefighters and military members have swallowed thermometer capsules.

As the world experiences record-high temperatures, employers are exploring wearable technologies, like sensors⁸ and armbands, to help keep workers safe. They collect body temperature and warn workers to take breaks when they get too hot.

Perrigo, 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.

Another device from the Massachusetts company Epicore Biosystems uses sweat to find out if a worker is overheating.

Experts say the effectiveness of some devices remains⁹ 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.

Privacy concerns

However, some groups worry that employers will use the technology to punish people for taking needed breaks.

Travis Parsons is with the Laborers¹⁰' Health and Safety Fund of North America, a labor³ 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."

United Cleanup Oak Ridge is the partnership¹¹ that is responsible for cleaning up the nuclear reactor¹² in Tennessee. The company says it uses medical examinations to make work decisions. Miller, the health supervisor¹³ said the company sent a few employees to see their personal doctors who found out they had heart problems.

At Perrigo, safety official Rob Somers said supervisors¹⁴ 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."

Adam 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 withhold¹⁵ health plans or dismiss workers.

Schwartz 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.'"

To 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.

Ikusei Misaka, a professor at Tokyo's Musashino University, raised another concern. Misaka noted¹⁶ that information gathered from wearing such devices could result in workers getting unwanted marketing¹⁷ for goods or services.

Words in This Story

hazardous -adj. dangerous

-induced -adj. -produced

capsule -n. a rounded piece of medicine or medical device meant to be swallowed

sensor⁷ -n. an electrical device that measures something in the physical world and turns it into an electrical signal

armband -n. something that is worn on the arm that can have a device attached to it

tracking -n. following something or someone to find out more about it

elevate -v. to lift something up or bring it to a higher level

delete -v. to completely remove something so that it is no longer there

1 hazardous   

adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的

参考例句：

• These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
• Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。

2 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

3 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

4 exertion   

n.尽力，努力

参考例句：

• We were sweating profusely from the exertion of moving the furniture.我们搬动家具大费气力，累得大汗淋漓。
• She was hot and breathless from the exertion of cycling uphill.由于用力骑车爬坡，她浑身发热。

5 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

6 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

7 sensor   

n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官）

参考例句：

• The temperature sensor is enclosed in a protective well.温度传感器密封在保护套管中。
• He plugged the sensor into a outlet.他把传感器插进电源插座。

8 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

11 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

12 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

13 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

14 supervisors   

n.监督者，管理者( supervisor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I think the best technical people make the best supervisors. 我认为最好的技术人员可以成为最好的管理人员。 来自辞典例句
• Even the foremen or first-level supervisors have a staffing responsibility. 甚至领班或第一线的监督人员也有任用的责任。 来自辞典例句

15 withhold   

v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡

参考例句：

• It was unscrupulous of their lawyer to withhold evidence.他们的律师隐瞒证据是不道德的。
• I couldn't withhold giving some loose to my indignation.我忍不住要发泄一点我的愤怒。

16 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

17 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。