Friday, May 26th is National Heat Awareness Day
If you’re in one of the regions of the U.S. still experiencing overnight temps dropping into the 30s with freeze warnings, perhaps you think someone is jumping the gun on this precaution. However, some areas of the country have already hit triple digits. Workers in those areas need to be extremely cautious about the transition to soaring temps that could cause deadly heat stroke.
OSHA has regulations governing precautions employers must take to protect workers who are exposed to high temperatures, both indoors and outdoors. Whether an employee is in a kitchen or on a construction site, certain measures must be in place to ensure the effects of heat exposure do not cause illness or injury.
Water
Cal/OSHA (California’s division of OSHA) has their own standard that applies to outdoor worksites. As part of this regulation, employers must provide drinking water that is clean, cool, and free so that workers can drink at least 1 quart per hour. Individuals who sweat easily may lose gallons of water per day in sweat alone.
In addition to water, some workers may require extra salt or electrolyte-enhanced beverages to combat loss due to excessive sweating. Any worker who experiences muscle cramping with adequate water intake should drink one of these alternate beverages or take electrolyte/salt supplements.
Guess what else jobsite water may be needed for…
Dousing a worker who collapses from heat stroke. While waiting for emergency crews to arrive, the worker should be moved to shade, have equipment or excess clothing removed, and be doused in water to improve cooling.
Rest/Shade
Workers should move to a shaded area to rest for at least five minutes if they begin to feel the effects of overheating. Employers must provide a shaded area when temperatures reach 80F, either under trees or a canopy, and allow workers to utilize this area as needed. Employees may request time to cool off as often as required, and in addition to scheduled work breaks.
Because of the body’s internal cooling mechanisms, blood flow to vital organs such as the brain may be decreased. This may result in the affected worker not being fully aware of their own need for cooling or rest.
Training
Employers must provide training to all employees and supervisors on heat injury prevention practices. Cal/OSHA has a division that may provide multilingual outreach services to ensure full understanding of all training materials for employees with alternate language needs.
Workers should be informed on the signs and symptoms of heat-related illness and injury and be taught to observe fellow workers for any of them. As heat exhaustion impairs normal cognitive function, an employee may not be aware of their faulty reasoning or risky behaviors. If any of these behaviors are observed in another employee, it should be reported to a supervisor immediately.
OPM Staff Safety
Our project managers’ exposure to dangerous heat on the job hovers between 0-0.001%. That said, completing training for proper prevention and management of heat-related illness and injury is vital to ensuring appropriate controls are in place to protect the workers in the field. At OPM, we take safety seriously. While we understand the increased costs associated with adequate measures like unlimited breaks for workers exposed to high temperatures, being able to account for adjusted budgets and timelines based on heat-related delays is vital to protecting every person on the job site.
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