Dive Brief:

• Qatar University scientists have designed solar-powered, cooling hard hats for construction workers helping to build a dozen soccer stadiums in advance of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, according to Reuters.
• The hard hats feature a fan and cooling pack unit to blow cold air across a worker’s face, reducing surface skin temperature by up to 18 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Job site temperatures in Qatar can easily hit 122 degrees Fahrenheit, and the helmet tech aims to ease working conditions for the migrant laborers from Bangladesh, India and Nepal.

Dive Insight:

Cooling hard hats aren’t just a great technology, they’re a positive step forward for World Cup construction organizers who have faced criticism over unsafe working conditions due primarily to the Qatar heat. Reports by Amnesty International and the International Trade Unions Federation cast a shadow on the race to complete stadiums and infrastructure in time for the 2022 games, estimating over 1,000 worker deaths per year could put a total project death toll well over 7,000, according to Fortune. However, Qatar officials refute the reports and claim that the project has seen only one work-related fatality.

By comparison, 2,630 U.S. workers in all industries suffered from heat illness and 18 died from heat stroke in 2014, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The tragedy of heat stroke is the fact that it’s almost entirely avoidable with regular intervals of hydration, rest and shade, OSHA said during a campaign against worker heat illnesses last year.

Construction workers stateside can also make sure cooler heads prevail with products like the fan-powered Cool Hard Hat or even suit up with cooling vests from makers like FlexiFreeze and Veskimo.