Expo 2020 Dubai has completed the first phase of a program to monitor workers’ health on construction sites using wearable devices. The program, a part of Expo 2020 Dubai’s Worker Wellness Program, involves the use of Whoop wrist strap, which allows users to monitor health metrics and issues a weekly health summary for each participant.
A total of 5,540 workers participated on a voluntary basis, with the project focusing on preventative health through monitoring and reporting, health treatment and health research.
The technology used in the initiative was developed by Expo 2020 in collaboration with American fitness tech company Whoop. Regularly used by elite athletes around the world, the wearable ‘Whoop Straps’ have been adapted to take into account the needs of construction workers, reports Expo 2020 Dubai.
Will Ahmed, Founder and CEO, Whoop, said: “Construction is one of the biggest sectors in the world, yet from a health monitoring standpoint these sites are being developed in the same way as 200 years ago. By using Whoop technology, we can understand what it will take to prevent injuries and to make a workforce healthier.”
More than 13 terabytes of data have been collected via the wellness wearable devices, and this huge amount of information is forming the basis for research by internationally recognized academics from the UAE’s University of Sharjah. The research focuses on cardiovascular health and sleep disorders, with the overarching aim to inform the future of worker wellness and ensure the well-being of construction workforces at future major construction sites and mega-events.
The technology used in the program was developed by Expo 2020 in collaboration with American fitness tech company Whoop. The wellness wearable ‘Whoop Straps’, regularly used by elite athletes around the world, have been adapted to the needs of construction workers – with a bespoke charging/syncing system devised to collect data daily during their lunch breaks, and printed reports provided to all participants in multiple languages.
Read more WHOOP Strap 3.0 Featuring WHOOP Live for Real Time Performance Monitoring
Academic findings of the Worker Wellness Program’s first phase are due to be released later in 2020.
A second phase will begin in 2021, using wearable wellness technology to monitor the health and well-being of workers during the six months of Expo 2020, which runs from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022.
