Skanska is turning to cutting-edge hydration testing technology to keep workers safe in places like Miami, where workplace temperatures routinely rise to dangerous levels.
Austin, Texas-based MX3 Diagnostics’ MX3 Hydration Testing System tests saliva or sweat to show a worker’s hydration level and to recommend how, if necessary, that worker can rehydrate better
Daimon Perez, director of EHS for Skanska’s Florida region, says the harmful effects of dehydration or heat stress can be difficult to perceive even for potentially dehydrated workers themselves.
“So with this equipment, we have an accurate result,” he says. “It’s very simple to use.”
In Florida, there are three devices in the field, which are used weekly to support the company’s other efforts to combat the heat, he says, and to help workers correlate the effects they feel with hard data about their levels. of hydration
MX3 Diagnostics primarily markets the device to athletes, although its website includes information about OSHA’s National Emphasis Program, as well as examples of implementation on construction sites and other workplace uses.
Jarrett Milligan, Skanska’s senior safety manager, says the company is always looking for new technologies to partner with, “to advance the sport.”
“We consider construction tradesmen to be professional athletes in our industry, and they’re the highest priority for us in the field,” he says, noting that a farrier scaling steel might be putting the same amount of stress or stress on your body than a professional golfer or baseball player.
According to MX3, the test device uses a portable electrochemical workstation capable of real-time laboratory analysis. Results are displayed on a phone app, which can maintain a profile for each worker and display hydration data over time. Perez says one device is capable of covering an entire workplace. This is a pilot project, but it has been an immediate success, and the feedback has been positive.
“I’ve already had meetings with our medical provider and said, ‘Hey, this piece of equipment, I think it’s going to become one of those standards,'” says Milligan.
The MX3 hydration testing system, which includes test strips and devices, costing Skanska about $1,500 each, uses test strips to measure a worker’s hydration through sweat or saliva . Perez says the effort supports Skanska’s broader efforts to keep workers safe in the heat and helps employees themselves identify when they’re dehydrated.
On its website, MX3 explains that the device can perform two separate tests, one on saliva and one on sweat, to show how much and what type of fluid will best replenish lost electrolytes, to “test, track and hydrate yourself from effective way to optimize your performance and reduce injuries.”
Wider threat of heat-related illness and injury
For Skanska, hydration testing goes beyond current regulations to keep workers safe in a warming climate and changing climate of regulations. Excessive heat can cause multiple health problems for workers on the job, from exhaustion to heatstroke and death—injuries that proper precautions like shade, rest, and water can prevent in big measure, as ENR reported in July with news of a new OSHA proposed rule. .
In 2022, OSHA says 43 fatalities were specifically due to ambient heat, compared to 36 in 2021. Between 2011 and 2022, OSHA reports 479 worker deaths from ambient heat, with an average of 40 per year Between 2011 and 2020, OSHA reports an estimated 33,890 work-related heat injuries, although it cautions that these numbers are likely “vast” underestimates of the true number.
The proposed new rule would require employers to develop an injury and illness prevention plan to control heat hazards in areas affected by excessive heat, which it lists as above 80°. It includes requirements for drinking water, among other thermal safety measures, with special attention to workers who are not used to the heat. Beyond reminding workers to drink water, it’s creating a culture of awareness about staying hydrated and safe in the heat.
“This helps you start educating yourself and making sure you’re hydrating properly,” says Perez. “It’s not just about getting water on the spot.”
It starts the day earlier, he explains, and with work starting at 6:30 a.m. to avoid the worst of the Miami sun, it’s also about avoiding excess caffeine via coffee or energy drinks in the morning. So far it has gone well with the workers, he says.
“They know they have to drink water or Gatorade this Sunday night,” says Milligan, who just started rolling out the device in Phoenix, where temperatures topped 100° for more than 100 days in a row this year. In Phoenix, they also use flags to notify workers of the risk of heat. A red flag tells crews to be cautious, and a black flag means stop work.
“There’s no sense in the workplace that someone is out there trying to be disciplinary around this, right? We’re looking out for you,” says Milligan. “We want to make sure you can come to work and be the best you can be at your craft, your task.”
The device is also helping leaders guide thermal safety conversations across the board, incorporating other efforts like the flag system, cooling centers and even hydration packs. Skanska also employs EMS technicians or medical assistants on nearly every project, Perez says, and the MX3 gives them a tool to help manage workers’ day-to-day health as they walk the job sites. work
“We are expanding the use in the near future, but the reception has been very good,” he says. “They see that we care. It’s basically our safety culture: care for life … we provide the right information so they can make the right decision.”
