'Qatar World Cup construction workers to get 'cooling' hats'

Migrant workers building soccer stadiums in Qatar's desert heat are to be given 'cooling' hard hats to reduce their body temperature and risk of suffering heat stroke, tournament organizers said. A fan in the top of the helmet blows air over a cold pack onto the person's face reducing skin temperature by up to 10 degrees centigrade, said Saud Ghani, an engineering professor at Qatar University. Summer temperatures in Qatar can reach 50 degrees and Doha enforces a ban on outdoor work for several hours a day during the hottest months of the year. But migrant workers have complained about heat exhaustion and dehyrdration while working in summer. Around 260 migrant workers from India died in the whole of Qatar in 2015, according to figures from the Indian embassy in Doha seen by Reuters. The helmets, which can provide cooling in hot temperatures for up to four hours, will be introduced at all World Cup building sites next summer.