The technology used in space suits to protect astronauts carrying out space walks in direct sunlight is now being used to develop protective clothing to safeguard fire fighters and steel workers who often work in extremely hot and dangerous conditions.

In Europe alone, the inability to shed excess heat and moisture through clothing results in over 1,500 cases of heatstroke per year which can be fatal. Heat stress, which is less serious but nonetheless a problem, affects an estimated 50,000 workers each year and increases the risk of injury at work due to loss of concentration.

The project, named Safe&Cool, is looking at using a special protective material with a built-in cooling system—based on the technology developed for the space suits used on the International Space Station to prevent overheating when exposed to direct sunlight during space walks—as a possible solution to the problems faced by workers.
Conceived within the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Technology Transfer Programme, the Safe&Cool system is being developed by a consortium of six small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from Italy, Belgium and Poland.

The cooling apparatus used in the project has been developed by Grado Zero Espace and has already been used successfully in clothing for Formula-1 McLaren mechanics and the Spanish Moto-GP driver, Sete Gibernau.