British Safety Council and Air Pollution App

The British Safety Council and the Environmental Research Group develop app that aims to help reduce air pollution exposure.

18:55 30 August 2018

The Environmental Research Group at King’s College London is working together with the British Safety Council in developing an app that aims to help workers minimise their exposure to air pollution.

 

The iOS and Android app will generate data that will inform users about the risks of operating near to traffic and assist with job scheduling. It is hoped that the app will help reduce workers’ exposure to toxins, which can lead to a number of serious illnesses.

 

The idea to create the app came following the release of a report by the Royal College of Physicians that identified outdoor workers as the group that is particularly vulnerable to health problems caused by air pollution. The British Safety Council said that diesel engine exhaust fumes were “a key pollutant” that affects outdoors workers.

 

The professionals-only app will be made available to companies that have signed up for it. It will combine air quality data with the worker’s GPS signal to calculate “location-specific air pollution exposure over the user’s working duration.”

 

The app will notify the user if their exposure has reached a certain limit. The app will also make recommendations, such as seeking alternative routes, using a pop-up barrier and taking breaks.