On the heels of its time-keeping smartphone app for tracking hours worked, the Department of Labor (DOL) is now introducing a smartphone app to measure the heat index at a work site. It is available now for Android operating systems, with apps promised soon for the iPhone and Blackberry.

The app allows workers and supervisors to calculate the heat index for their worksite, and, based on the heat index, displays a risk level to outdoor workers. Then, with a simple "click," you can get reminders about the protective measures that should be taken at that risk level to protect workers from heat-related illness—reminders about drinking enough fluids, scheduling rest breaks, planning for and knowing what to do in an emergency, adjusting work operations, gradually building up the workload for new workers, training on heat illness signs and symptoms, and monitoring each other for signs and symptoms of heat-related illness.