The National Safety Council (NSC) recently showcased six potential solutions for heat stress risks through its Work to Zero Safety Innovation Challenge, the group announced on February 25.

For the winner of the challenge, the NSC chose Apex Cool Labs, whose winning technological solution is a palm-cooling device engineered to combat heat stress and improve worker performance.

The other five companies and their submitted technologies are:

• Bodytrak and its geofencing technology to alert workers and supervisors to high-heat areas in real time;
• Critical Ops and its remote sensing devices, such as drones and thermal imaging, that collect detailed, actionable data to reduce risks;
• Cryogenx and its portable body-cooling technology for the treatment of heat-related illnesses;
• MakuSafe Wearable Tech and its wearable sensor technology with data analytics to monitor and mitigate heat risks in real time; and
• Wright Brothers Institute and its footwear technology for passive core temperature thermal management.

The six finalists were selected to showcase their heat stress prevention technologies at The Future of EHS 2025 event in St. Louis.

Heat stress accounted for about 3,400 work-related injuries and illnesses annually from 2011 to 2020, according to the NSC. Affected workers often require days away from work. The group cited Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data showing that nearly 500 workers have died from heat-related workplace incidents since 2011.

The NSC’s Work to Zero initiative and TechConnect, a division of Advanced Technology International, identified nearly 100 potential technology providers for the 2025 Safety Innovation Challenge. From the initial group, six finalists were selected to showcase their heat stress prevention technologies at The Future of EHS event.

“Heat stress is not only a significant safety challenge but also a solvable one, thanks in part to technological innovation,” Katherine Mendoza, senior director of workplace safety programs at the NSC, said in a statement from the group.

“The Safety Innovation Challenge is a platform to showcase transformative solutions that can protect workers, save lives, and improve workplace outcomes, which is the ultimate goal of Work to Zero.”

“From wearable devices to AI-enabled monitoring systems, this year’s finalists demonstrated a range of impactful solutions to mitigate this critical safety issue,” Mendoza continued. “I want to congratulate all the participants and especially Apex Cool Labs for being honored as the 2025 challenge winner.”

Last summer, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed a new heat injury and illness prevention standard requiring employers to provide water, shade, paid rest breaks, heat acclimatization schedules, and training. A “high-heat trigger,” or a heat index of 90°F or a Wet Bulb Globe Temperature equal to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) recommended exposure limit (REL), would trigger additional employer requirements.

Since then, President Donald Trump has issued an Executive Order (E.O. 14192) directing federal agencies to remove 10 existing regulations for every new one.

Because there’s no existing federal standard for heat illness or injury prevention, OSHA cites employers, often following a worker hospitalization or fatality, using its authority under the General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1)) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.