Monitor critical alterations in heartbeats during work
Heart rate (HR) is the number of heartbeats per minute and one of the main physiological indicators of health and alertness. Sharp variations, even at rest, may signal safety and performance risks at work — especially in contexts involving heat, physical exertion, sleep deprivation, or monotonous tasks.
Why use risk scenarios with heart rate triggers?
Heart rate is directly linked to sustained attention, stress response, and workload. In industrial environments, HR reflects how the body reacts to factors such as physical effort, extreme heat, long shifts, or stressful conditions. By configuring HR triggers, it’s possible to prevent operational risks and take action before worker health or performance is compromised.
Application areas
Where should heart rate triggers be used?
Extreme thermal conditions: blast furnaces, foundries, or cold chambers. Heat raises HR; cold can lead to a drop in HR after prolonged exposure.
High physical demand: repetitive tasks or lifting, such as maintenance or construction.
High cognitive demand: control room operators, supervisors of critical processes.
Confined spaces: thermal variation, low oxygen, and high physical/mental demand raise HR.
Night shifts or rotating schedules: sleep deprivation affects autonomic HR regulation.
Long, monotonous tasks: crane operators, drivers, security guards.
Initial parameters (default)
What values are recommended to start a risk scenario?
< 60 bpm: May be normal for athletes but can signal drowsiness or reduced alertness.
60–100 bpm: Safe range for most activities.
> 100 bpm: Indicates physical effort, stress, or heat.
> 120 bpm: High-risk signal; may require immediate action.
For resting activities, consider tighter limits like <55 or >100 bpm.
For movement-intensive tasks, limits like <60 or >120 bpm are recommended.
How to use the Heart Rate module in the Dersalis platform
When creating or editing a monitoring setup, select the data type “Heart Rate”. The platform allows you to configure:
Minimum and maximum heartbeat limits
Sensitivity (low, medium, or high) based on continuous reading time:
Low: 30 min
Medium: 20 min
High: 10 min
Safety actions
How to respond to abnormal HR alerts?
HR > 120 bpm: extreme effort. Recommended 10–20 min break, hydration, and reassessment.
HR > 100 bpm: mild heat, stress, or moderate effort. Short break of up to 10 min and technical guidance recommended.
HR < 60 bpm: reduced alertness. Active break, caffeine, or light movement (e.g., stretching) suggested.
Risk Scenario in the platform
How to configure heart rate triggers
Other examples here
Advantages
Identifying health risks based on cardiac demand
Preventing operational failures linked to poor performance or low attention
Indicating possible clinical conditions or substance use
Early detection of stress, dehydration, or extreme fatigue
References
Abdelnabi, M. H. (2019). Cardiovascular Clinical Implications of Heart Rate Variability. International Journal of the Cardiovascular Academy, 5(2), 37. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijca.ijca_36_18
American Heart Association. (2020). Adult basic life support: 2020 international consensus on CPR and ECC science. Circulation, 142(Suppl. 1), S41–S91
Bentley, R. F., Nikolovski, N., & Goodman, J. M. (2025). How does the dose and type of exercise impact acute cardiovascular function in healthy individuals? Canadian Journal of Cardiology, 41(3), 398–411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjca.2024.12.016