Smart textiles can detect, react, and adapt to various stimuli; they offer promising perspectives in occupation health and safety (OH&S). The objective of this study was to identify technologies, solutions, and products based on smart textiles and flexible materials that could have an application in OH&S and provide a response to some of the current needs. The collection of information included three aspects: 1) technologies, solutions, and products involving smart textiles and flexible materials found in the literature over the period 2000-2016; 2) issues in OH&S associated with traditional textiles and flexible materials; and 3) current or foreseeable problems associated with the use of smart textiles and flexible materials in OH&S. Issues with traditional textiles and flexible materials in OH&S were cross-matched with technologies, solutions and products relevant to smart textiles and flexible materials. This allowed us to propose short, mid, and long-term developments that could provide a response to some of the current needs in OH&S. The analysis shows that smart textiles and flexible materials offer a promising response to current challenges observed with PPE used in OH&S. With manufacturing and R&D capabilities available in various countries, the feasibility of development of these solutions is very high.

The large surface area, and ability to retain moisture of textile structures enable microorganisms’ growth, which causes a range of undesirable effects, not only on the textile itself, but also on the user. Moreover, textiles used in health care environments are required to possess antimicrobial property to minimize spread of pathogenic infection. Anti-microbial property can be imparted via chemical finishing with an antimicrobial agent. Currently the use of antimicrobial agents includes metal compounds (notably copper and silver particle), chitosan, halogenated phenols “triclosan”, quaternary ammonium compounds, antibiotics (a class of antimicrobials produced from microorganisms that act against one another), and N-halamines. The possibility of bacterial resistance limits antibiotic use to specific medical applications, and triclosan is known for being dangerous to the environment and is currently under scrutiny for possible endocrine disrupting to human being. Although quaternary ammonium compounds are stable and easily manufactured, microbial resistance is also a concern. Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), Polyhexamethylene Biguanide (PHMB), chitosan and N-halamines are listed under bound or non-leaching type antimicrobials. The bulk of current chapter focuses on the different family of antimicrobial agents used for textiles and their mechanisms.

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Test methods for smart or electronic textiles (e-textiles) are critical to ensure product safety and industrial quality control. This paper starts with a review of three key aspects: (i) commercial e-textile products/technologies, (ii) safety and quality control issues observed or foreseen, and (iii) relevant standards published or in preparation worldwide. A total of twenty-two standards on smart textiles – by CEN TC 248/WG 31, IEC TC 124, ASTM D13.50, and AATCC RA111 technical committees – were identified; they cover five categories of e-textile applications: electrical, thermal, mechanical, optical, and physical environment. Based on the number of e-textile products currently commercially available and issues in terms of safety, efficiency, and durability, there is a critical need for test methods for thermal applications, as well as to a lesser degree, for energy harvesting and chemical and biological applications. The results of this study can be used as a roadmap for the development of new standardized test methods for safety & quality control of smart textiles.