OPPBTP and BTP-Prevoyance, partners of the start-up Biodata bank to prevent heat stroke on construction sites

The latter has developed and patented a smart bracelet dedicated to prevention, making it possible to analyze body temperature to avoid heat stroke. The objective of this partnership is to set up, with more than 850 construction and public works employees, a first large-scale test of this solution.

It is also a matter of making construction professionals aware of this risk, which is increasingly present in the work environment, and of ensuring the medical and technical added value of the solution in terms of prevention, thanks to the participation experts and doctors aware of the issue.

Heat stroke, a major risk on construction sites

The ever more intense, frequent and prolonged heat waves, and significant climatic variations directly impact the building and public works trades, many of which are carried out outdoors. Construction professionals are thus increasingly exposed to the risk of "heat stroke", which corresponds to a rise in body temperature above 39 ° C and constitutes a vital emergency. Indeed, heat stroke must be taken care of and treated quickly so as not to cause sequelae. Conscious of its impact on their health, construction stakeholders are therefore increasingly mobilized on this issue.

An innovation in the service of prevention

The detection solution developed by Biodata bank, the Heat Warning Watch Canaria ™, is a smart bracelet for analyzing body temperature to detect heat stroke in a wide variety of use cases. At the heart of this innovation is a new heat flow sensor and algorithm that monitors body temperature with no communication connection required. Easy to distribute, hygienic and waterproof, the bracelet is intended to simply alert the user when their body temperature increases by one degree thanks to a light and sound signal.

Due to its obvious interest on construction sites, the start-up was able to integrate the Construction Health Prevention Accelerator in November 2019, following the 6th start-up selection committee. Created by the OPPBTP in partnership with the Fondation Excellence SMA, PRO BTP and the CCCA-BTP, and piloted by Impulse Partner, the Accelerator Health Prevention of BTP has in fact set itself the objective of identifying and supporting innovative projects and start-ups, in particular by helping to connect with potential construction clients and to experiment with innovative solutions.

It is in this context that Biodata bank, the OPPBTP and BTP-PREVOYANCE today wish to combine their efforts to carry out the first test of the solution on site.

A first experiment with more than 850 construction workers

The objective of this partnership is to assess the reliability and the added value in prevention of the smart bracelet developed by Biodata bank to be able, in the long term, to support the profession in the face of the problem of heat stroke, by providing it with a new innovative solution and reliable. For this, the OPPBTP has developed an experimental protocol for testing under real conditions of use, which began at the beginning of June 2021. This takes into account the specificities of several trades represented by a target population of more 850 construction workers in 24 volunteer companies and 53 entities identified with the help of BTP-PREVOYANCE. At the end of a 3-month solution test period, employee volunteer testers will be able to provide feedback on the solution. Thanks to this evaluation, the OPPBTP will deliver an evaluation of the system based on the medical expertise of Dominique Leuxe, national consulting doctor of the OPPBTP, and the technical expertise of Mohamed Trabelsi, responsible for the PPE field within the OPPBTP .

The measures and conclusions resulting from this experiment will enrich a global approach to improving the prevention of the risk of heat stroke.

Many resources for businesses

On its website preventionbtp.fr, the OPPBTP provides Building and Public Works professionals with many tools to help them understand and adopt the right reflexes to protect themselves in the event of a rise in temperature. In the On construction sites section, the page " I am exposed to extreme temperatures »Thus brings together all the resources related to this work situation. Professionals will find there in particular:

• Concrete and practical solutions to be implemented in the field (Covid-19: wear a mask in hot weather ; Choosing the right protective clothing ; Choosing the right personal protective equipment for the eyes and face…);
• Personalized posters for free download, to be printed and displayed in the life bases;
• Personalized questions answers to answer all the questions companies have regarding the management of risks related to high heat;
• Personalized legal references to understand the legal regulations around the management of heatwave episodes, in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic;
• A tip sheet in order to adopt the right reflexes to ventilate and refresh;
• Feature articles (Outdoor work in full sun: how to protect yourself from UV rays? ; All about the bad weather compensation plan) and some news on the subject.

On its Youtube channel, the OPPBTP also offers a playlist of 6 short videos which show in pictures all the good gestures to adopt on construction sites.