By Chad Engle, Loss Prevention and Safety Manager
With three days left in June, we have already experienced temperatures in the 90s fourteen times this month. I can only imagine what July and August have in store for us. As the temperatures increase, along with the humidity, we need to focus on protecting our employees from heat illness and injury.
Heat illness is preventable. OSHA encourages employers to have cool drinking water available and easily accessible while also recommending the consumption of one liter of water each hour. Employers shall provide fully shaded areas for resting and cooling down. OSHA’s program is referred to as Water/Rest/Shade.
OSHA’s Fact Sheet, Protecting Workers from the Effects of Heat, is available online here.
It is important for employees to keep an eye on each other while working in a hot environment. Monitor yourself for signs and symptoms of heat illness, but also remember to monitor your coworkers and ensure they are not falling prey to the heat and humidity. If you recognize the symptoms early and act, serious illness and injury can easily be avoided.
The most serious heat-related illness is heat stroke. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heat stroke occurs when the body can no longer control its own temperature: the body’s temperature rises rapidly, sweating ceases, and the body can no longer cool itself. Heat stroke can cause permanent disability or death if the victim does not receive immediate treatment.
Signs and Symptoms of heat stroke include:
- Confusion, altered mental status, slurred speech.
- Loss of consciousness (coma)
- Hot, dry skin or profuse sweating
- Seizures
- Very high body temperature
- Fatal if treatment is delayed
Treatment for heat stroke includes:
- Call 911
- Stay with the person until EMS arrives
- Move the person to a shaded, cool area and remove outer clothing
- Cool the person quickly, using the following methods:
- Cold water or ice bath, if possible
- Wet the skin.
- Place cold wet clothes on the skin
- Soak clothing with cool water
- Circulate air around the worker to speed cooling.
- Place cold wet cloths or ice on the head, neck, armpits, and groin; or soak the clothing with cool water
Heat exhaustion is essentially a point on the heat illness spectrum before heat stroke. Heat exhaustion is the body’s response to excessive loss of water and salt, usually through excessive sweating. Heat exhaustion is most likely to affect:
- The elderly
- People with high blood pressure
- Those working in a hot environment
Signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion include:
- Headache
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Weakness
- Irritability
- Thirst
- Heavy sweating
- Elevated body temperature
- Decreased urine output
Treatment for heat exhaustion includes:
- Take a person to a clinic or emergency room for medical evaluation and treatment
- Call 911 if medical care is unavailable
- Have someone stay with the person until help arrives
- Remove the person from the hot area and give liquids to drink
- Remove unnecessary clothing, including shoes and socks
- Cool the person with cold compresses or have the worker wash their head, face, and neck with cold water
- Encourage frequent sips of cool water
Educate employees about the signs and symptoms of heat related illness and encourage them to monitor themselves and their coworkers. If you recognize the signs or symptoms of heat illness in yourself or someone else, act quickly.
As always, I can be reached for questions at chad@nirma.info or 800.642.6671. Have a great summer!
