The CSIR, in collaboration with the Mine Rescue Services South Africa and Sibanye-Stillwater Ltd, has undertaken a body cooling garment study to address heat stress as it is an occupational health and safety challenge in the mining sector. The project was conducted to assess the effectiveness of a pre-selected body cooling garment in extending users’ tolerance times beyond the current upper limit of 30 minutes at an emergency heat stress index of above 38 °C.

This innovation is specifically designed to mitigate the incidence of heat disorders such as heat stroke for South African mine employees working in abnormally hot environments. In the context of South African underground mines, an abnormally hot environment refers to any environment with a dry bulb temperature of 37.0 °C or higher, a globe temperature of 37.0 °C or higher, a wet bulb temperature of 32.5 °C or higher, or a wet bulb globe temperature index of 34 °C or higher. Where these limits are exceeded, no routine work should be undertaken.  Only emergency work, essentially directed at re-establishing an acceptable thermal environment, should be undertaken.