6-08-01
Just the "FACS" Safety Notes
TIPS TO PROTECT WORKERS IN HOT SUMMER WEATHER
 Working in hot environments can be dangerous. In many industries, such as
laundries, foundries, bakeries and construction projects, workers face
conditions that make them especially vulnerable to safety and health
hazards. Higher summer temperatures increase those risks.
The combination of heat, humidity and physical labor can lead to
fatalities. In 1999, heat and hard labor killed 34 workers. There were
2,420 heat-related occupational injuries and illnesses reported that were
serious enough to result in lost work hours.

Simple precautions, such as those listed on OSHA’s Heat Stress Card, can
prevent many heat-related deaths and injuries. Available in English and
Spanish, this laminated fold-up card is free to employers to distribute to
their workers. It offers a quick reference about heat-related injuries,
including warning signs and prevention tips. Here are some examples:

- Encourage workers to drink plenty of water---about one cup of cool water
every 15 to 20 minutes, even if they are not thirsty---and to avoid drinks
that dehydrate the body such as alcohol, coffee, tea, and soft drinks with
caffeine.

- Help workers adjust to the heat by assigning a lighter workload and
longer rest periods for the first 5 to 7 days of intense heat. This process
needs to start all over again when a worker returns from vacation or
absence from the job.

- Encourage workers to wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting
clothing. Workers should change their clothes if they become completely
saturated with perspiration.

- Use general ventilation and spot cooling at points of high heat
production. Good airflow increases evaporation and cools off the skin.

- Train first-aid workers to recognize and treat the signs of heat stress
and be sure all workers know who has been trained to provide aid. Also
train supervisors to detect early signs of heat-related illness and permit
workers to interrupt their work if they become extremely uncomfortable.

- Consider a worker's physical condition when determining fitness to work
in hot environments. Obesity, lack of conditioning, pregnancy and
inadequate rest can increase susceptibility to heat stress.

- Alternate work and rest periods, with rest periods in a cooler area.
Shorter, more frequent work-rest cycles are best. Schedule heavy work for
cooler times of the day and use appropriate protective clothing.

- Check on temperatures, humidity and how workers are responding to heat at
least hourly.

The summer of 2001 is predicted to be one of the hottest summers on record for
the North Texas area. All employees need to be sure and drink plenty of fluids,
preferably water, while working in the extreme that is coming our way. The above
practices should be exercised at home as well as at work. But, we do not need to
forget the other hazards that are associated with heat related problems.
I’m sure that everyone has heard or read about the children that have died
from being left unattended in an enclosed automobile.