Dubai, UAE: Emerson Middle East and Africa has announced collaborating with Majid Al Futtaim Properties and Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) to provide more than 1,100 labourers and security staff at World Security in Jebel Ali and Al Zahia — Sharjah’s first integrated, master-planned community — with freezer-pack neck coolers to help cope with the extreme heat in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

According to experts at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies and the World Meteorological Organization, July 2016 was the world’s hottest month on record, said the company. Labourers, it added, often encounter temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius.

The company revealed that the locally manufactured neck cooler has been custom-made to ensure workers experience little or no obstruction in performing their day-to-day tasks. Once removed from the freezer and wrapped around the neck, the slim-line accessory, it further said, helps cool the body and reduce its core temperature. Each cold gel pack lasts for approximately one hour under extreme temperatures of 45 degrees C, informed the company. Additionally, the towel around the gel pack absorbs sweat and releases supplementary cooling sensations, which makes workers feel cooler for longer, Emerson said.

“Emerson continually strives to make a positive impact on the communities in which they serve,” explained Dalia Kaki, Marketing Manager, Emerson Middle East and Africa. “This initiative is a small gesture to help ease conditions for the local workforce and also aligns well with our overall company mission to enhance human comfort.”

Emerson further said that they intend to engage with other construction sites and business parks across the city to help make a difference to those working outside.