Recent developments in domains of ambient intelligence (AmI), Internet of Things, cyber-physical systems (CPS), ubiquitous/pervasive computing, etc., have led to numerous attempts to apply ICT solutions in the occupational safety and health (OSH) area. A literature review reveals a wide range of examples of smart materials, smart personal protective equipment and other AmI applications that have been developed to improve workers’ safety and health. Because the use of these solutions modifies work methods, increases complexity of production processes and introduces high dynamism into thus created smart working environments (SWE), a new conceptual framework for dynamic OSH management in SWE is called for. A proposed framework is based on a new paradigm of OSH risk management consisting of real-time risk assessment and the capacity to monitor the risk level of each worker individually. A rationale for context-based reasoning in SWE and a respective model of the SWE-dedicated CPS are also proposed.

The latest directions of research on the design of protective clothing concern the implementation of smart materials, in order to increase its protective performance. This paper presents results on the resistance to thermal factors such as flames, radiant heat, and molten metals, which were obtained for the developed smart textile material with shape memory alloys (SMAs). The laboratory tests performed indicated that the application of the designed SMA elements in the selected textile material system caused more than a twofold increase in the resistance to radiant heat (RHTI₂₄ = 224 s) with an increase of thickness of 13 mm (sample located vertically with a load), while in the case of tests on the resistance to flames, it was equal to 41 mm (sample located vertically without a load) and in the case of tests on the resistance to molten metal, it was 17 mm (sample located horizontally).

The problem of a hot microclimate in the workplace, leading to an almost constant thermal strain, concerns people employed worldwide in such sectors as the metallurgical, mining, and glass industries. Additional strain is caused by the protective clothing worn, which is usually made of aluminized fabrics impermeable to water vapor. Publications reporting hazards resulting from the prolonged exposure of workers to a hot microclimate emphasize that it is necessary to eliminate or decrease heat accumulation in the human body. This paper presents the steps involved in the design of a liquid cooling garment (LCG) reducing the thermal discomfort experienced by workers exposed to hot environments, in which impermeable aluminized protective clothing, preventing sweat evaporation, must be worn. The construction of the new LCG is based on a specially developed knitted spacer fabric with a channel structure in which a tube system distributing cooling liquid is placed.

This study aimed to assess the developed nonwoven inserts with aerogel/PCM (phase change material) microcapsules for use in protective clothing against cold in terms of properties related to thermophysiological comfort. These inserts were obtained by the thermal bonding of a multilayer system consisting of needled-punched nonwovens and silica aerogel particles and/or PCM microcapsules evenly distributed between them. The influence of aerogel and PCM microcapsules on the basic physical properties of inserts, their microstructure, air permeability, and water vapor resistance was investigated and analyzed. The thermal insulation properties of inserts were assessed based on thermal conductivity results. The inserts with PCMs were also tested for their ability to regulate the temperature in the undergarment microclimate using the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and the “skin model” device. The research showed that the use of aerogel allowed for reducing the thermal conductivity of the insert by approximately 13% compared to the insert without additives. The high values obtained of the melting and crystallization enthalpy of inserts with PCMs confirmed their high efficiency in the heat absorption and release. Thus, the use of aerogel and PCMs in protective clothing against cold seems to be an effective solution for improving its protective properties and actively adapting its thermal insulation to the changing temperature conditions and the activity level of employees.

Work in impermeable protective clothing leads to a significant thermal load on its user. Limited heat and moisture transport, which is an effect of using air- and moisture-impermeable coated fabrics in protective clothing, causes a significant increase of the temperature and relative humidity in the undergarment microclimate and, as a consequence, a rise of the skin and core temperature. To protect a worker from the thermal load, three types of garments with phase change materials designed to be worn under impermeable clothing have been developed and tested. The research, conducted with the participation of volunteers in a microclimatic chamber, has proved a statistically significant positive effect of the phase change materials, in the form of macrocapsules contained in the garment, on the undergarment microclimate underneath the barrier protective clothing.