Barcelona introduces smart bracelets to protect workers exposed to heat

The municipality of Barcelona has started distributing smart bracelets that monitor the body temperature of employees working outdoors, as part of a strategy to adapt to climate change and prevent accidents caused by extreme temperatures. The decision comes in a context in which Spain is facing one of the most severe summers in recent history, and June resulted in more than 1,000 excess deaths associated with heat, according to Reuters.

• Around 1,400 workers will wear the devices

The municipal authorities of Barcelona have distributed around 1,400 smart bracelets to employees who work outdoors, among the beneficiaries are sanitation workers, teams that maintain public lighting, park and garden workers, as well as staff responsible for maintaining public spaces. The devices constantly monitor the wearer's body temperature and emit an audible signal and vibrations when they detect values that may indicate a health risk. In such situations, employees are required to immediately stop work and retreat to a safe space.

• Climate change adaptation measure

Pep Llimona, prevention coordinator for the Barcelona Parks and Gardens Administration, said that the introduction of these devices is part of a broader plan to adapt to the effects of climate change. According to him, the local administration is trying to respond to meteorological phenomena that are becoming "increasingly aggressive", and protecting the health of employees exposed to extreme temperatures is a priority.

• Deaths caused by the heatwave have accelerated the implementation of the project

The initiative comes after several tragic incidents recorded in recent years in Spain, where workers working outdoors have lost their lives during heatwave episodes. A case that attracted public attention occurred in June last year, when a 51-year-old woman employed by the sanitation service died after sweeping the streets of the old center of Barcelona on a hot day.

The city council announced at the time the opening of an investigation into the circumstances of the death. According to a spokesman for the local administration, the investigation did not identify any indications that heatstroke was the direct cause of death. However, Pep Llimona stated that although the project to introduce the bracelets was already in preparation before that incident, the tragedy contributed to accelerating its implementation and to reassessing the protective measures for employees.

• Spain, increasingly affected by extreme temperatures

Spain is going through one of the most difficult periods in terms of high temperatures, being considered one of the European countries most vulnerable to the effects of global warming. Spain's weather service AEMET has confirmed that this June was the hottest on record, and forecasters are warning that another heatwave is set to hit the country this weekend.

According to official figures recently released by Spanish health authorities, more than 1,000 excess deaths were linked to extreme temperatures in June alone, prompting local authorities and employers to review rules on outdoor activities.

• Technology becomes a tool to protect workers

The authorities in Barcelona believe that the use of real-time monitoring technology can significantly reduce the risk of serious accidents caused by heat stress. "As temperatures rise, we need to be more vigilant in the workplace,” said Ester Jimenez, head of the brigade, stressing that adapting working conditions to the new climate reality is becoming a necessity, not just a preventive measure.

The implementation of these devices is seen as one of the first initiatives of its kind adopted on a large scale by a European local government, amid the intensification of extreme weather phenomena associated with climate change.