FRIO, a UK-based manufacturer of a wide range of cooling products, has launched a personal cooling solution targeting the construction site workers in the Middle East.

The product is a cooling neck band and works on a simple principle of evaporation, says Sue Reader, director of AIMS (Middle East and North Africa), the sole distributor for the Frio cooling product range in the UAE, Middle East and Africa.
“Scientifically, when something is evaporating it is actually cooling. Inside the neck band there is a very small amount of crystals. When soaked in cold water for five minutes the crystals expand into a gel form and maintain evaporation and cooling for a minimum of 48 hours, even in extreme temperatures,” she says.
It is reusable for an indefinite period of time and its minimum shelf life is eight years, during which it can be used every single day.
The company has been promoting the product is the region for the past couple of months and says it has been very well received. A number of construction companies are testing the product.
“We have been speaking to the construction industry in the UAE with regards to heat stress and how it impacts the employer and not to forget the downtime, productivity and ultimately the cost to the business over a period of time. Now under the UAE labour law, downtime has been increased for the summer resulting in huge amount of loss in time for businesses.
“Besides, the employers are also required to provide some kind of personal cooling solutions to its workforce. The only personal cooling solution provided here by the employers are the air-circulating fans, which only circulate the air but do not cool. I don’t think it’s a personal cooling product and moreover only those who are closer to the fans benefit. Our product is the only one currently available in the market that fits the bill,” she says.
The product has been in the market for over 15 years and has British Medical Association approval, Reader points out.
“We call it the cooling neck bands because it is a well documented medical fact that if your stress points are kept cool you will stay cool. This reduces the risk of heat stroke which in turn reduces the downtime,” she says.
According to her, every construction company today is trying to focus on health and safety issues and is giving consideration to staff working outside in the heat.
“It is a documented fact that 20 per cent of the people who are working outside die of heat stroke and that is a very serious figure. A majority of these deaths occur in this region,” she says.
Frio has been operating worldwide since 1994 and manufactures a number of unique products, including a medicine wallet.