Samsung is pushing a new feature out (after replacing one recently) for its Galaxy Watches to help workers who use its wearables. A typical smartwatch usually warns us if we’ve been sitting too long, but the Galaxy Watches will now warn you about dangerous heat stress.
The company has upgraded its business-focused Heat Stress Management System, developed alongside South Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labor. It uses LTE Galaxy Watches and Samsung’s SmartThings Pro platform to monitor outdoor workers during extreme summer heat.
The system combines environmental readings such as workplace temperature and humidity with biometric data from the watch, including heart rate and physical activity. It then tries to predict when the heat is becoming dangerous for each worker rather than relying on a single temperature reading for everyone. It is currently being used at the construction site for a new semiconductor production line on Samsung’s Pyeongtaek campus.
The watch can tell managers when workers need a break
The system calculates perceived temperature at the worksite in real time. When conditions cross government heat thresholds, alerts automatically appear on a manager’s dashboard. Samsung lists three key levels, namely a heat advisory at a perceived temperature of 33 degrees Celsius, a heat warning at 35 degrees, and a serious warning at 38 degrees. These correspond with the South Korean government guidance around pausing work during extreme heat.
Managers can then send heat warnings and rest recommendations directly to the Galaxy Watches worn by workers. This gives the watch a much more practical role than displaying the afternoon forecast. It becomes the final link between environmental monitoring, health data, and someone who can tell a worker to step away before the situation escalates.
It looks at the person, not only the weather
Samsung has also upgraded the underlying prediction algorithm with researchers from Incheon National University. The software considers a worker’s height, weight, age, sex, heart-rate patterns, and working environment to estimate core body temperature in real time. It then assigns a risk level and provides an alert when necessary.
Samsung adds that it also worked with the Data Science Research Institute at Samsung Medical Center to compare the algorithm’s predictions with the body’s actual response under heat-stress conditions. This personalized approach matters because two people can react very differently to the same heat. Age, fitness, workload, existing health conditions, clothing, and hydration can all affect how quickly someone becomes vulnerable.
There are still privacy questions
As of right now, it is a B2B workplace system rather than a Galaxy Watch feature that consumers can simply download. It also places personal and biometric information inside a cloud-based employer dashboard. Samsung says SmartThings Pro has received ISO 27001 information-security certification, though any wider deployment will still require clear rules on worker consent, data access and retention, and how employers may use health information. A Galaxy Watch cannot cool a construction site or replace proper shade, water, breaks, and safe working conditions. However, it can help managers notice when the heat is beginning to overwhelm a particular worker.
