Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy introduces cooled vests for workers

Qatar has been going full steam ahead with construction of the various venues that will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The country, ever mindful of the welfare of the workers helping build those venues, have initiated several welfare measures aimed at making things easier for them.

One of the innovative ideas that came up to make the life of workers comfortable was the introduction of cooled jackets, that when worn could keep workers cool even during high temperatures.

The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), which is in charge of the tournament’s delivery, said it has delivered thousands of the ‘state-of-the-art’ cooling vests to workers, reported Gulf Times.

The cooling vests, which were designed by apparel experts TechNiche, reduce a wearer’s body temperature by up to 15°C. Extensive tests and development studies have proven that the vests improve a wearer’s comfort, concentration and the ability to work efficiently during hot conditions, said a report on the SC’s official website.

“The cooling vest has the potential to transform our workers’ lives. We’ve spent two years exploring how best to utilise various cooling products, but many are simply not suitable for Qatar’s environment.

“We want our workers to really benefit from the concept of this technology and, after putting the TechNiche products through rigorous testing, they delivered impressive results,”  Mahmoud Qutub, Executive Director of the SC’s Workers’ Welfare Department, was quoted as saying by The Peninsula.

“This is a new product and is designed specifically for workers in Qatar. However, we recognise the impact such products could have for anyone working outside in hot conditions. It’s another example of developing solutions to protect our workers that also have the potential to leave a tangible human and social legacy,” he added.

The SC has so far issued around 3,500 vests and the people primarily benefitting from them are steel fixers, carpenters, masons, foremen, scaffolders, banksmen and riggers.

How the technology works

The vests are submerged in water to allow the fabric to soak up as much water as possible. Airflows, such as movement and wind, then evaporate the water contained in the vests. 

The greater the airflow, or the more a wearer moves, the more it works. 

A super-absorbent polymer fibre within the vest’s fabric holds the water layer for slow evaporation over several hours, delivering constant cooling for the wearer. The wearer stays dry due to quilted layers of absorbent fibre on the outside, and waterproof fabric on the inside. 

The vest will stay cool for up to eight hours, depending on the environment, and cool a wearer’s core body temperature by up to 15°C.