Empirical Evaluation of Smart Textile Sensor Integration for Physiological Monitoring of Industrial Workers in the Nigerian Cement Industry

Workers in Nigeria's cement manufacturing industry are exposed to heat stress, physical exertion, and dust environments that collectively create significant physiological health risks. Smart textile sensors integrated into workwear offer non-invasive real-time physiological monitoring capabilities. This study empirically evaluates the integration of conductive yarn-based textile sensors into workwear fabrics for monitoring skin temperature and heart rate of cement plant workers at a facility in Ogun State, South West Nigeria. Conductive silver-coated polyamide yarns were knitted into sensor electrodes within single-jersey fabric substrates. Textile electrodes were characterised for electrical resistance, electromechanical behaviour under stretch, wash durability, and signal quality for electrocardiogram and skin temperature measurement. Field trials involved 25 workers wearing instrumented garments during 4-hour work shifts under production conditions, with concurrent validation against clinical-grade reference instruments. Comfort assessment using a validated questionnaire evaluated wearer acceptance of the monitoring system. Results demonstrate that textile electrode electrical resistance of 4.8 ohm/cm remained stable within 12 percent over 25 laundering cycles and during mechanical stretch up to 15 percent strain. Heart rate measurement agreement with reference electrocardiogram equipment showed mean absolute error of 3.2 beats per minute, within clinically acceptable limits for continuous monitoring. Skin temperature accuracy was within 0.4 degrees Celsius of contact thermometry reference. Worker comfort ratings were positive for 84 percent of participants. Motion artefact noise was the primary signal quality limitation during high-physical-activity tasks. The study validates the technical feasibility of smart textile physiological monitoring for occupational health management in the Nigerian cement industry and recommends further development of motion artefact rejection algorithms. Keywords: smart textile, physiological monitoring, conductive yarn, industrial workwear, Ogun State