Whether indoors in a hot building or outdoors under the blazing sun, some jobs have to be done in uncomfortably high temperatures. For the most part, teams persevere and get on with the work; but when hot becomes overheated, mere discomfort can quickly turn to danger.
Roughly 11 workers fall victim to heat stress each day and, according to OSHA, each heat prostration incident costs an average of $53,000. The first step in keeping employees safe is recognizing the signs of heat illness and how to treat it. Couple that knowledge and training with simple steps to prevent heat stress and heat illness can be prevented.
Heat illness is not a progression. A person does not necessarily start with heat cramps, move on to feeling faint, then become nauseated and end with heat stroke. In fact, it’s not uncommon for sufferers to go from believing they’re handling the heat reasonably well, with no overt symptoms, to collapsing with a heat stroke. Everyone experiences heat illness a bit differently, so it’s important to know the four types and how to treat each one.
The good news is that heat illness is 100% preventable. If employers take the proper steps on every jobsite, there’s no reason anyone should have to suffer the potentially devastating effects of heat illness.
Tips for Safety Managers
For safety managers, the most important mission is to know the severity of the heat at any given time and to enforce heat stress prevention measures.
Tips for Workers
It’s not all up to safety managers. Make sure workers are properly trained to keep themselves and their coworkers safe. Heat stress prevention should be part of every employee’s day on the job.
Heat illness is a serious risk that’s easily defeated with the right precautions. The trick is for employers’ to handle it no differently than they would a cut hazard or a risk of falling from a height.
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