From paper to (i)pad: The development of the Thermal Risk App

It has long been recognised that a key control in the management of heat stress is the education of the worker in relation

to the impact of the many variables in a hot environment. For too many years the use of one parameter, the air

temperature, has been the focal point of the general workforce as the measure of heat stress. Whilst there have been

many tools and training materials available, most have relied on a formal training program or complicated assessments.

The Basic Thermal Risk Assessment (BTRA) was introduced via the AIOH heat stress standard in 2003 as a first level

assessment and was originally developed as a training tool. However over the years it has evolved in a different direction.

The review and modification of this tool in the latest AIOH Heat Stress Guide began its journey back to its original intent. In

early 2014 a question was posed on a Heat Stress forum discussion:

"If you had a Heat Stress App for your workers, what would you want it to tell them?"

This triggered a chain of events that led to the development of the Thermal Risk App.

This is its story.