Introducing Teijin Smart Safety's Active Cooling Vest: Enhancing Safety Through Self-Regulating Cooling
Heat stress is a real concern for many professionals who work in hot environments, especially for those who need to wear personal protective equipment (PPE), which usually restricts natural sweat evaporation. To address this challenge, Teijin Smart Safety designed the Active Cooling vest.
Developed in response to customer needs, the TACV is designed to provide effective cooling for people who work in high-temperature conditions. Firefighters, for example, who need to work always in protective gear, are vulnerable to heat stress due to the lack of sweat evaporation. The TACV enables natural body cooling by using the wearer’s sweat evaporation, making it the only self-regulating cooling vest on the market.
The goal of the development process was to create a solution that could remove excessive sweat and heat generated by the human body to prevent overheating. However, it was equally important to ensure that the vest did not excessively cool the body and cause a drop in the core body temperature below normal levels. To achieve this, the vest's regulation mechanism works in tandem with the body's natural cooling system and is self-regulating. This implies that if the body is not producing excessive sweat, it will not generate extra heat and require additional cooling.
The vest is lightweight, easy to use, fits the PPE well (since many choose their PPE one size bigger), and can last for several hours without loss of performance. All these features are made possible by the optimization of the sweat- and airflow in combination with the battery endurance and the low weight, giving us the desired properties.
The heart of the Active Cooling Vest is a unique 3-layer fabric with an inner lining that provides high wicking capabilities. Sweat is transported away from the skin into a special designed 3-dimensional fabric, which includes air channels needed to evaporate the sweat and transport the humid air away from the body. All is covered and protected by a Teijinconex® Meta aramid fabric as outer shell material, which has inherent flame-resistant properties. This unique engineered fabric enhances the natural body cooling mechanism and enables cooling even under PPE. The vest is easy to care for, has stretch fabric parts and elastic cords to ensure a better fit, as well as a pocket to fit the rechargeable battery.
The cooling vest is not just a functional textile that enhances occupational safety by reducing heat stress and its negative consequences; the electronics comply with CE requirements, and the battery complies with UN 38.3 testing. While the vest is not certified as fire- and heat-resistant PPE, it can be worn under a firefighter suit to provide additional cooling support.
Furthermore, the vest enhances occupational work safety, preventing the wearer from possible accidents caused by heat stress and it helps employers to acknowledge the risk of heat-exposed workplaces and reduce the risk of employees having heat-related accidents. The vest's cost is easily justified by the prevention of accidents that usually exceed the cost of the vest by far.
The Active Cooling Vest is a must-have for firefighters, all kind of industrial, and construction workers, and anyone who needs to wear PPE in hot conditions. With its unique design, low maintenance, and unlimited cooling, it's the perfect solution for anyone who wants to stay cool, comfortable, and safe while working in hot temperatures.
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