HEAT STRESS: STOP THE RISK BEFORE IT SHOWS
Thermal imaging helps teams protect workers, equipment, and critical environments when summer conditions push the systems harder.
THE SUMMER RISK: SPOT HEAT BEFORE IT ESCALATES
As extreme heat and humidity become more common, industries across the globe are facing a growing challenge: how to protect workers, maintain equipment reliability, and ensure safe environments.
Thermal imaging has emerged as a powerful, non-invasive tool to detect, visualize, and mitigate heat-related risks before they escalate into safety incidents or costly failures.
Work-related deaths in the U.S. linked to environmental heat exposure since 2011.
Reduction of up to 4.5°C (8°F) perceived heat index in STUDSON helmet studies.
Thermal visibility without interrupting operations.
The Risks Starts Before the Collapse
—Thermal imaging helps teams see dangerous heat accumulation earlier, before a small issue becomes a major event.
01 WORKER HEAT STRESS
Identify heat build up on the body and evaluate PPE performance. Innovative cooling solutions can reduce heat index and improve comfort in extreme conditions.
02 EQUIPMENT UNDER STRAIN
Detect hotspots on the tires, brakes, motors, and components before they fail. Automated thermal monitoring finds issues in real time without stopping operations.
03 CRITICAL FACILITIES
Find HVAC issues, air leaks, and electrical hotspots to maintain comfort, safety, and reliability in hospitals, data centers, and more.
Addressing Worker Heat Stress
Heat stress is a serious and growing concern, especially as global temperatures are predicted to stay at record levels. It is recognized as one of the leading causes of weather-related deaths worldwide, with outdoor industries such as construction especially vulnerable. In the United States alone, over 400 work-related deaths have been linked to environmental heat exposure since 2011.
Thermal imaging is helping organizations better understand and reduce this risk. By visualizing heat distribution on the human body and across protective gear, companies can evaluate how effectively personal protective equipment (PPE) manages heat.
For example, safety helmet manufacturer STUDSON used Flir T1020 thermal cameras to test innovative cooling solutions, including helmet liners with nape covers and cooling towels. Under thermal inspection, these materials appeared cooler (purple/blue), demonstrating their ability to reduce heat accumulation for workers in direct sunlight.
The same approach was applied to STUDSON’s SHK-1 safety helmets, which are designed not only to prevent traumatic brain injuries but also to improve wearer comfort. Featuring KOROYD technology, welded polymer tubes composed of 95% air, these helmets enhance airflow and promote sweat evaporation. Thermal lab studies confirmed the helmets can reduce perceived heat index by up to 4.5°C (8°F) compared to traditional designs.
By validating these innovations with thermal imaging, manufacturers can prove performance, while employers gain confidence that their workers are protected, and more likely to consistently wear PPE even in extreme heat.
Thermal images of safety helmets showing areas of heat buildup and the effectiveness of cooling solutions
Predict the Unpredictable
—Thermal imaging detects hot spots, even if tires are caked in mud.
Hotspot on mining truck
Autonomous thermal imaging system
Preventing Equipment Heat Damage in Harsh Environments
Heat doesn’t just affect people, it also puts heavy equipment at risk, particularly in high-demand environments like mining operations. Large haul trucks, for example, operate under extreme conditions and are especially vulnerable to heat-related failures, including tire fires caused by internal damage.
Traditionally, tire inspections relied on visual checks, handheld thermometers, or even detecting the smell of burning rubber; all of which are reactive, time-consuming, and potentially dangerous.
Thermal imaging is transforming manual processes like this into automated ones. For example, Pitcrew AI developed an automated inspection system using Flir A615 thermal machine-vision cameras combined with AI-powered image analysis. The system continuously scans haul trucks as they operate, identifying early-stage faults like tire separations.
These separations create friction between internal layers, generating localized hotspots that thermal cameras can detect—even when tires are covered in dirt or mud. Unlike traditional inspections that require cleaning and downtime, thermal imaging provides real-time insights without interrupting operations.
Installed as a self-contained, solar-powered unit alongside haul roads, the system requires minimal setup and operates autonomously. When a hotspot is detected, alerts are instantly sent via email or SMS, enabling maintenance teams to act before minor issues escalate into dangerous or costly failures.
The result: improved worker safety, reduced downtime, and significant cost savings.
Detect the Undetectable
—Thermal imaging reveals hotspots on electrical panel.
Enhancing Climate Control in Critical Facilities
In high-stakes environments like hospitals, precise temperature and air flow control are critical for both patient safety and operational efficiency. Thermal imaging allows facility managers to go beyond basic thermostat readings and gain a deeper understanding of actual conditions.
A Swedish hospital leveraged Flir thermal cameras to inspect and maintain its HVAC systems, achieving several key benefits. Complaints from both patients and staff would arise from time to time on rooms being too hot or too cold. While thermometers provided feedback on for the automated HVAC system, thermal imaging allowed the staff to gain specific information on the airflow and temperature distribution in a room.
"The camera provides us with the right information and allows us to make well based decisions with regard to maintenance of the HVAC system and troubleshooting all kinds of building issues", said one of the hospital technicians. “If we want more specific information about the airflows and temperature distribution in a room, we need the Flir thermal imaging camera.”
Thermal cameras additionally proved useful for both mechanical and electrical inspections. The hospitals operating room required precise ambient temperatures and close monitoring of their HVAC systems to prevent contamination from air borne pathogens. Two common issues technicians would find were clogged radiators and blocked ventilation ducts, both easily detected with thermal imaging. Maintenance staff was also able to scan entire switch boards to ensure electrical components were operating as intended in these environments and avoiding blown fuses.
By identifying issues that traditional sensors might miss, thermal imaging helps ensure consistent climate control in an environment where nothing else could be tolerated.
Additional Common HVAC issues easily detected with thermal imaging:
- Blocked or leaking condenser coils
- Refrigerant leaks or inefficiencies
- Duct leaks and insulation failures
- Electrical faults such as overloaded circuits or poor connections
- Uneven heating or cooling in radiant floor systems
This thermal image shows cold air (purple) protruding around the sides, revealing a poor seal.
When argon gas escapes windows, their insulation capabilities are made worse and they appear as a solid color through thermal imaging.
Thermal imaging revealing air escaping around airducts.
A Versatile Tool for a Hotter World
As temperatures rise, the need for smarter heat management becomes more urgent. Thermal imaging offers a versatile and scalable solution across industries. Workers can be better protected against heat stress, equipment faults can be detected earlier before failure occurs, and facilities ensure HVAC systems are maintained and efficient.
Whether deployed in the field, on the factory floor, or inside critical infrastructure, thermal imaging provides the visibility needed to make informed decisions, keeping people safe, operations efficient, and environments controlled, even under extreme heat conditions.
