What does this research mean for the field?

Wearing cooling vests significantly lowers breathing rate, though it does not significantly increase heart rate variability, among construction workers exposed to occupational heat stress. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

To determine whether wearing cooling vests reduces breathing rate and improves heart rate variability among construction workers exposed to occupational heat stress.

September 14, 2026Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

The Effectiveness of Cooling Vests in Reducing Physiological Strains of Occupational Heat Stress Among Construction Workers

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Authors

MLMichael Kenneth Lemke CTChi Tian AMAndrea Ixchel Gonzales Melinger

Discussion

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Overview

Crossover trial demonstrates that cooling vests significantly lower breathing rates in construction workers, suggesting a viable intervention against occupational heat-related illness.

Key Points

To determine whether wearing cooling vests reduces breathing rate and improves heart rate variability among construction workers exposed to occupational heat stress.
A prospective, pragmatic crossover trial evaluated N=12 construction workers assigned into two counterbalanced groups over a two-day period in June 2023, with each worker serving as their own baseline control.
Mann-Whitney U tests and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests assessed the effects of cooling vest usage on breathing rate and heart rate variability across time.
Workers wearing cooling vests exhibited a significantly lowered breathing rate over the complete monitoring period, with significant reductions occurring within the initial 10 to 20 minutes.
Cooling vest use did not yield a statistically significant increase in heart rate variability across the observation window.

Cite This Study

Lemke et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6aa7b2f70926e14a848b18c3 https://doi.org/10.1097/jom.0000000000003884

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September 14, 2026Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

The Effectiveness of Cooling Vests in Reducing Physiological Strains of Occupational Heat Stress Among Construction Workers

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Authors

MLMichael Kenneth Lemke CTChi Tian AMAndrea Ixchel Gonzales Melinger

Discussion

Member takes

Overview

Crossover trial demonstrates that cooling vests significantly lower breathing rates in construction workers, suggesting a viable intervention against occupational heat-related illness.

Key Points

To determine whether wearing cooling vests reduces breathing rate and improves heart rate variability among construction workers exposed to occupational heat stress.
A prospective, pragmatic crossover trial evaluated N=12 construction workers assigned into two counterbalanced groups over a two-day period in June 2023, with each worker serving as their own baseline control.
Mann-Whitney U tests and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests assessed the effects of cooling vest usage on breathing rate and heart rate variability across time.
Workers wearing cooling vests exhibited a significantly lowered breathing rate over the complete monitoring period, with significant reductions occurring within the initial 10 to 20 minutes.
Cooling vest use did not yield a statistically significant increase in heart rate variability across the observation window.

Cite This Study

Lemke et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6aa7b2f70926e14a848b18c3 https://doi.org/10.1097/jom.0000000000003884

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