Working in the intense heat of the summer sun can put workers at risk of heat stress, but heat stress can also hit you in places you wouldn’t expect.
“Any job that causes your body temperature to rise has the potential to cause heat stress,” says WSPS occupational hygiene consultant Michael Puccini. “Even jobs carried out in air-conditioned environments.”
Left unchecked, heat stress can lead to heat exhaustion, heat stroke, heart attack, and other physical health effects. Plus, it can be damaging to business, by way of lost productivity, disability costs, and fines and penalties.
Prepare for the heat now
These heat waves may last only a week or two, but in this time workers can suffer debilitating effects and even death. A few simple steps taken now can keep your people thriving and productive even in the hottest weather.
“Based on the internal responsibility system, everyone has a role to play,” says WSPS occupational hygienist Warren Clements. “Employers, supervisors and workers can all make a difference in their workplaces.”
Steps for employers:
Put a policy and procedures in place, based on a risk assessment. Ask questions, such as:
- Have workers been affected by heat in the past?
- Is work done in direct sunlight?
- Are there heat producing processes or equipment in the workplace?
This will help you understand the magnitude of the issue. If heat stress may be a hazard, you may want to conduct heat stress measurements so you can develop a control plan. The plan should include engineering controls, such as insulating hot surfaces.
Train all employees during orientation on the policy and procedures to manage the hazard.
- Include heat stress symptoms, how to prevent it, and what to do if someone starts showing symptoms.
- Heat stress training is particularly critical for young and new workers, as well as all manual workers.
- Research conducted by the Institute for Work & Health shows that heat strokes, sunstrokes and other heat illnesses disproportionately affect those on the job less than two months.
Steps for supervisors:
- Acclimatize workers to hot conditions, and watch out for de-acclimatization. Workers can lose their tolerance in only four days.
- Schedule work in the hottest locations for cooler times of day. Build cool-down breaks into work schedules. Adjust the frequency and duration of breaks as needed. “Taking a break means going to a cooler work area or providing workers with periodic rest breaks and rest facilities in cooler conditions,” says Warren.
- Get to know your workplace and your workers. “Are there certain jobs at elevated risk? Is anybody working outside today? ‘Is so-and-so looking a little different from how he normally looks? A little more flushed? Sitting down more?'”
- Ensure ready access to cool water in convenient, visible locations. Workers need to replenish their fluids if they are becoming dehydrated.
- Supply protective equipment and clothing as needed, such as water-dampened cotton whole-body suits, cooling vests with pockets that hold cold packs, and water-cooled suits.
- Monitor weather forecasts. “If it’s Tuesday and you know superhot weather is coming on Thursday, ask yourself, ‘Who will be working then? What will they be doing? Who… or what… should I watch out for?'”
- Be extra vigilant in extreme conditions. “Check on workers frequently. If you can’t do this, then assign a temporary pair of eyes to do it for you.”
Steps for workers:
Watch out for each other and speak up. “People suffering from heat stress don’t always recognize their own symptoms. If anyone’s behaviour is ‘more than usual’ – more sweating, more flushed, hyperventilating – it could be a sign of heat stress.” Other signs could include rashes, muscle cramping, dizziness, fainting, and headaches.
For more information, visit: Workplace Safety & Prevention Services
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