Air-conditioned protective vests used by outdoor grid workers in Jiangsu

NANJING -- Electricians in Nanjing, capital city of East China's Jiangsu province, have been equipped with air-conditioned protective vests when maintaining the power grid in the scorching summer heat.

The surging electricity consumption in Jiangsu since mid-summer has put huge pressure on the grid, causing occasional failures. To minimize disruptions in power supplies to residents, electricians operate without shutting down the power supply when trouble-shooting, which requires them to wear insulation protective clothing.

However, working at a height of more than 10 meters above the ground in insulation clothing weighing about 3.5 kg can easily lead to fatigue and even heat stroke. "It's like a thick raincoat," said Fan Fan, a worker of the State Grid Nanjing Power Supply Company. "Each time when we finish the operation and strip off the protective coats, we find our entire bodies soaked in sweat."

The State Grid Nanjing Power Supply Company has sourced six sets of air-conditioned vests for its front-line electricians this year.

The vests, developed and produced by a company based in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, use an air conditioner compressor to cool the temperature and infuse the cooling water into the circulation channels inside the vests to achieve further cooling effects.

Test results showed that the vests can reduce the body surface temperature by nearly 10 degrees Celcius, and the cooling effects can last for nearly one hour.