Heat Awareness Tips

How to Deal with Dangerous Heat When You are Not Accustomed to It

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Many serious workplace heat injuries occur in those who aren’t accustomed to dangerous levels of heat. As such, these people need extra protection as they adjust to elevated temperatures. Employers and workers can ensure this adjustment period is a smooth one by doing the following:

  • Understanding the dangers of heat stroke
  • Recognizing the signs and symptoms of heat-related illness
  • Hydrating properly
  • Dressing appropriately for environmental conditions
  • Taking breaks in shaded cooling areas
  • Using cooling products or gear
  • Adjusting work schedules to avoid peak heat hours
  • Creating a heat-specific safety plan
  • Allowing workers to acclimate to work conditions

Each of the points above are vital in keeping people safe when the heat is relentless.

1) Understanding the Dangers of Heat Stroke

People unaccustomed to dangerous heat may not realize the risks of working in high heat environments. Before new hires begin work in high-risk conditions, everyone should be warned about heat stroke and its potential to cause fatal injury. Most people know that extreme temperatures can kill, but they may not know that heat stroke can emerge within 10 minutes, or that it may emerge slowly over several hot days. New workers may not know that heat stroke can cause permanent disability in people who recover from it, so avoiding heat illness is paramount.

Employers should also consider outfitting new workers with temperature-monitoring tools like liquid crystal thermometers (LCTs), which can be integrated into employee TWIC cards.

2) Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms of Heat Illness

If employees and managers on the jobsite know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, they will respond faster to a developing emergency.

Heat exhaustion symptoms include:

  • Rapid, weak pulse
  • Heavy sweating
  • Muscle cramps
  • Dizziness
  • Weakness or fatigue
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Headache
  • Elevated body temperature

Heat stroke symptoms are similar to those of heat exhaustion, but they are more severe and potentially deadly. They include:

  • Lack of sweating
  • Body temperature in excess of 103 degrees
  • Profound confusion
  • Slurred speech
  • Loss of consciousness

Heat exhaustion can be treated onsite if it’s promptly addressed. However, heat stroke is a medical emergency that demands immediate attention.

3) Hydrating Properly

Proper hydration is key in the fight against dangerous heat. When working in elevated temperatures, the rule of thumb is eight ounces of water (1 cup) every 15 to 20 minutes. Paradoxically, acclimated workers need additional water to hydrate, as they sweat more effectively (heavily).

It is better to drink smaller amounts of water more often, compared to large amounts infrequently. Avoid drinks that pull water out of your tissues, such as alcohol and caffeinated drinks. Foods with high water content (fruits, for example) can also provide hydration.

4) Dressing Appropriately for Environmental Conditions

Heavy clothing will trap heat and increase body temperature. If workers don’t require protective wear, then light, breathable fabrics are recommended.

In hazardous work settings where protective wear is necessary, shortening work rotations will ensure people have enough time to cool down between high-intensity bouts of activity.

5) Taking Breaks in Shaded Cooling Areas

When high risk temperatures are present, supervisors should implement more frequent breaks to keep workers safe. If possible, a cooling station should be provided to workers – one that’s shaded and outfitted with a fan or air conditioning. If someone develops heat exhaustion or heat stroke, they should be relocated to a cooling station for frontline treatment.

6) Using Cooling Products or Gear

There are numerous cooling products that are cost effective and work well. Cooling vests and shirts, for example, use stored water to keep workers cool. Neck wraps are another popular option that can be dipped in water and worn around the neck to quickly cool workers. Neck shades and sun shields can keep the direct sun off workers and help prevent heat exhaustion.

7) Adjusting Work Schedules to Avoid Peak Heat Hours

If the weather forecast suggests extreme heat is on the way, consider reorganizing work shifts so that the heavier work is reserved for off-peak heat hours. When temperatures climb, supervisors should seek to lower exertion levels. This is also an opportunity for managers to schedule higher-risk workers (older workers, those with chronic health conditions, etc.) for shifts when temperatures aren’t as threatening.

8) Creating a Heat-Specific Safety Plan

A worksite safety and emergency action plan are valuable safety resources, and they can be developed specifically to target heat hazards. If your worksite needs a heat-specific safety plan, this is what it should include:

  • A section identifying all worksite heat hazards and their locations
  • An inventory of all heat safety resources and their locations
  • A section detailing all heat safety measures, such as monitoring worker vitals
  • A section detailing emergency response procedures, in the event of a heat injury (including contact information for a nearby medical facility)
  • A section that names the people responsible for enforcing the plan, as well as their contact information

Once your heat safety plan is in place, it’s imperative that workers and managers, including top management, are properly trained in the protocols.

9) Allowing Workers to Acclimate to Work Conditions

Most serious and fatal heat injuries occur in workers who are new on the job. It takes time for the human body to adjust to elevated temperatures, but it can adjust fairly well if given adequate time. When acclimating new workers to the job, the goal is to slowly get them accustomed to elevated levels of heat. Here’s the best approach to acclimation:

  • Gradually increase work intensity over 1-2 weeks
  • Eventually increase work intensity to actual expected work intensity (the body will only acclimate to the level of exertion it experiences)
  • Hydrate and cool completely between work rotations
  • Do not push workers to heat exhaustion – this will reduce heat tolerance
  • Acclimation periods should last at least two hours

Once workers are acclimated, they will require more fluid to stay hydrated, but will tolerate higher levels of exertion.

The Above Measures Can Help Those Who Aren’t Accustomed to Dangerous Heat

There are many simple steps that businesses can take to protect their workers from dangerous heat. It starts with knowledge and vigilance, and includes outfitting your workers with heat safety resources, adding cooling breaks, adjusting work schedules, creating a heat safety plan and more. Together, these measures will safeguard your workers from dangerous heat, especially if they aren’t accustomed to it.

Heat Stress: Causes, Symptoms and Prevention Tips

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Heat stress can be a deadly threat to workers – and it can be caused by several types of heat sources, including:

  • Environmental heat from the sun or excess humidity
  • Exertion – the more intense the exertion, the greater the heat risk
  • Heat trapped inside heavy or non-breathable work clothing
  • Additional heat sources, like ovens or furnaces

Certain health conditions can predispose workers to the dangers of heat stress, but even completely healthy people can be severely harmed by the heat. As such, it’s up to employers and workers to respond to thermal risks and put measures in place to avoid heat-related illness and injury.

What are the Symptoms of Heat Stress and Heat Illness?

When heat stress is intense enough to cause symptoms, the resulting condition is termed heat illness. Two of the most common and concerning forms of heat illness are heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Here are the symptoms and potential complications of each:

  • Heat exhaustion – Heat exhaustion is the precursor to heat stroke and merits an immediate medical response from onsite personnel. If untreated, heat exhaustion will progress to potentially deadly forms of heat illness. Common signs of heat exhaustion include headaches, dizziness, heavy sweating, elevated body temperature, nausea or vomiting, and muscle cramps or spasms. Confusion may also be present.
  • Heat stroke – Heat stroke is a medical emergency and typically occurs when heat stress goes unchecked for too long. Heat exhaustion may progress to heat stroke suddenly, transitioning from a preventable injury to a potentially life-threatening condition.
    Heat stroke is characterized by dangerously high body temperatures, profuse sweating or a complete lack of it (the body’s attempt to retain water), profound confusion and loss of coordination, slurred speech, mood changes, severe migraine-like headaches and loss of consciousness.

In addition to the above, heat stress may manifest as lower risk heat illnesses such as heat rash or heat cramps. Responding to those mild forms of heat stress is the first step in reducing heat injuries.

Heat Stress Prevention Tips

The best way to handle heat risks is to minimize them from the outset. Failing that, it’s critical that your personnel (including top management) knows how to respond to developing heat-related emergencies. Here are some steps every employer can take to improve their company’s heat safety:

  • Identify all potential heat hazards – If you don’t know where the heat hazards are, you can’t protect workers (or yourself) from them. Survey the worksite and determine where heat stress is most likely to emerge. Take temperature readings several times a day over several days to confirm this, as thermal pockets can appear anywhere, including interior spaces.
  • Create a heat-specific safety plan – The general recommendation for businesses is to invest in safety planning. If heat hazards are present at your facilities or worksites, a heat-specific safety plan is also recommended. Include all implementable safety measures and who is responsible for implementing them. Putting a plan in place improves emergency readiness if your employees are trained on the steps to take.
  • Prioritize medical monitoring – Some people are far more predisposed to heat stress risks than others. People with heart disease and people taking diuretics, anticholinergics or antidepressants are two examples of heat-susceptible workers. If these risk factors are identified in workers early, steps can be taken to mitigate them, like extending the acclimation period or scheduling work rotations away from the worst heat risks.
  • Provide essential heat safety resources – Heat stress can be managed with the right onsite materials and resources. For example, neck wraps are a low-cost accessory that workers can use to keep themselves cool.
    Another helpful option is liquid crystal thermometers (LCTs) that workers can easily carry around. LCTs are so light that they can be embedded into ID badges or TWIC cards. They provide an accurate temperature reading within moments and can give workers advance notice of elevated heat risks.
  • Prioritize safety training and leadership – Safety planning and other safety measures are no use if workers aren’t put through safety drills. Those measures are also likely to fail if upper management reflects a “safety second” mentality on the job. To ensure neither threatens your heat safety approach, schedule regular training sessions and reject any casual attitudes toward heat safety. It only takes one serious heat injury to derail your organization.
  • Implement an acclimation period – Many severe and fatal heat illnesses occur in workers new to the job. These people often have not had time to adjust to high-exertion work or work in high-temperature areas.
    Fortunately, the human body can adjust (to an extent) to these conditions if given a couple of weeks with a gentle ramp-up of work intensity and duration. Allow your new hires to acclimate on this timeline to build up their heat tolerance.
  • Have a plan for when heat stress strikes – Ultimately, your organization must be prepared for when, not if, an emergency occurs. These emergency measures should be specified in your safety plan and include details on available emergency resources (such as cooling packs) – and where to find them. Your workers should also know how to move a heat stressed person to safety, how to begin life-saving cooling treatment, and who to contact.

Prevent Heat Stress by Recognizing and Reacting to the Causes

Heat stress can be a killer and has caused dozens of on-the-job fatalities in the last several years. That underestimates the impact of heat illnesses, too, as they often lead to long-term injury and reduced productivity.

The good news is that heat stress and heat injuries are avoidable with the right preventable measures in place.

Heat Stress Hazards and Effective Control Measures for Workplaces

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Heat stress hazards can be minimized in the workplace with the right control measures, including:

  • Installing safety signage
  • Providing workers with temperature-taking tools
  • Scheduling work rotations to prioritize safety
  • Ensuring there is adequate water and cooling stations available
  • Creating a heat-specific emergency action plan
  • Training workers to recognize the signs of heat illness

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more than 3,300 heat illnesses and injuries every year that cause missed work time – and more than 30 workers die every year due to the heat. That’s a lot of lost productivity and potential liability for employers, and tragedy for workers.

Integrating the above practices on the jobsite will greatly improve heat safety in most workplaces. Here is a closer look at each of the preventative measures listed above and how implementing them can make a difference.

1) Installing Safety Signage

Occupational safety signage is a vital first layer of defense for hazardous workplaces, as it offers several advantages. Signage can be installed wherever the hazards are and can communicate in multiple languages, making it a cost effective and durable way to keep safety in the forefront of everyone’s minds.

Safety signage reminds workers to stay alert to the signs of heat illness. Signs remind workers to take in enough water and points out where cooling stations are located, and it reminds workers what to do in the event of an emergency.

Given its importance in heat safety and cost efficiency, safety signage is considered a must-have protective measure for any workplace that features heat hazards.

2) Providing Workers with Temperature-Tracking Tools

The first step in preventing heat illness is vigilance, and that means tracking the temperature as it changes throughout the day. This is something that workers can – and should – be trusted with. If workers in the field are most at risk of heat illness, it makes sense that they should have advance notice of potentially unsafe conditions.

An increasingly popular tool for employers is to equip their workers with easy-to-use, reliable liquid crystal thermometers (LCTs). LCTs are lightweight and compact enough that they can be integrated into TWIC cards. They provide a reliable temperature reading within seconds, so workers can respond and take appropriate safety measures as the heat reaches dangerous levels.

3) Scheduling Work Rotations to Prioritize Safety

If your organization can manage it, scheduling work rotations with heat hazards in mind can also reduce risk. This is especially important for new workers who may not be acclimated to elevated temperatures. It is highly recommended that new hires have a chance to slowly acclimate to full work intensity – including slowly ramping up exposure to elevated heat levels.

However, even experienced workers need additional breaks when heat hazards are present. When the forecast calls for hot weather, supervisors can be proactive in scheduling heat-safe work rotations, including shorter rotations or rotations that include less manual labor.

4) Ensuring There is Adequate Water and Cooling Areas Available

An essential control measure for hazardous workplaces is organizing cooling stations. These don’t have to be elaborate setups as some shade, a cooling fan and cold water is all that’s necessary. Ideally, these cooling stations are set up in areas with air conditioning, but anything that provides relief from the heat will reduce risk.

If heat stress hazards threaten your indoor workers, control measures include better indoor cooling and improved air circulation. This could be as simple as opening some windows or setting up cooling fans in areas where heat is regularly trapped.

5) Creating a Heat-Specific Emergency Action Plan (EAP)

EAPs are an essential planning document for workplaces with any hazards, but they can be developed for specific types of hazards in mind, including heat hazards.

If heat hazards are present on a jobsite, a heat-specific EAP will improve emergency readiness should heat illness strike. To ensure maximum readiness, heat-specific EAPs should include the following:

  • A section detailing the location and nature of all heat hazards
  • A section with an inventory and location of all heat emergency supplies
  • A section detailing what actions workers should take in the event of an emergency
  • Contact information for a nearby medical facility
  • The names and contact information of anyone in charge of developing the EAP

Once your heat-specific EAP is complete and signed off on, it’s the responsibility of safety personnel to introduce the plan to workers and train them on proper procedures. Time is critical when heat illness occurs, so it’s important that your employees are ready to put the EAP into action instantly.

6) Training Workers to Recognize the Signs of Heat Illness

When heat illnesses do emerge, the first person to notice is almost always another worker. That means if your employees are trained to recognize heat illnesses, your organization will manage a better emergency response.

Signs of heat illness include the following:

  • Weakness
  • Loss of balance
  • Slurred speech
  • Irritability
  • Heavy sweating or a complete lack of it
  • Elevated body temperature
  • Confusion
  • Loss of consciousness

Heat exhaustion and heat stroke present with similar symptoms – but heat stroke presents with more severe symptoms that can quickly lead to a medical emergency. If your employees can catch heat illnesses before they progress to heat stroke, permanent (even fatal) injuries can be avoided.

Mitigate Heat Stress Hazards with the Right Control Measures

Heat stress puts workers, and your organization, at risk. Excessive heat poses a risk that’s invisible, silent and odorless – so awareness is key. Your organization can maintain that awareness with proven control measures including safety signage, LCTs, altered work schedules, cooling stations and safety training among them. These control measures are generally simple and inexpensive to implement, so there is no reason to ignore heat hazards and the dangers they pose.

Five Ways to Improve Hydration in Heat and Keep Workers Safe

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Keep Your Workers Safe with Proper Hydration

In 2013, there were more than 16,000 reports of heat illness that were serious enough to result in at least one day of missed work, according to the U.S. Office of Compliance. Among those reports, there were 38 fatalities due to heat illness. It is up to employers and supervisors to prevent these potentially-fatal outcomes, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA. OSHA’s General Duty Clause requires employers to provide a place of employment that is free from recognizable hazards.

Heat is a recognized danger, but employers can counter it by keeping their workers cool and hydrated.

Five Ways to Improve Hydration in Heat

As workers exert themselves, they rapidly lose water in the form of sweat. This is a critical means of controlling body temperature, and without constant rehydration, it’s a mechanism that eventually fails. Once the body can no longer control its temperature, heat illness is imminent, so it’s critical that it never gets to this point. Here’s how employers can ensure their workers are safe from the heat at all times:

  1. Verify that workers are rehydrating – It’s common for workers to neglect rehydration while focused on completing a task. Dehydration is something that usually emerges slowly, so workers may not realize how dehydrated they are until it starts causing problems. This is why workers shouldn’t be the only line of accountability when it comes to hydration.
    Employers can learn a lot just by observing their employees and determining which ones are neglecting rehydration. Many of these workers would be happy to take a break and rehydrate, but they may not realize how often they need to replenish their fluids. Employers can use reference materials, which may be as simple as a laminated card, to remind workers when it’s time to take a break.
  2. Keep track of changing weather conditions – Even a difference of a few degrees may make the difference where heat illness is concerned, so keep an eye on the thermometer. Even better, give each worker a way to keep track of the temperature so they know when they need to rehydrate more frequently. For example, when the heat index climbs above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, workers will need between 12 and 24 ounces of fluid every hour to remain hydrated. When the heat index rises above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, though, workers will need to double or triple their water intake to stay hydrated.
    If workers have their own temperature-keeping device on hand, they can react to climbing temperatures right away, and hydrate accordingly.
  3. Make use of shade – Drinking water and replenishing electrolytes are essential elements of staying hydrated, as is reducing temperatures when possible. It’s highly recommended that there is a shaded rest area on every worksite, even if that shade is provided by a tent. In fact, tents typically make the perfect shade solutions because they can be moved around when it’s convenient to do so. Tents are also a valuable source of shade when there are no other sources of shade to be had. Consider setting up a hydration station inside the tent, along with air movers to circulate air and improve cooling.
  4. Use cooling equipment – Keeping workers cool is one way to keep them hydrated, so any tools that improve cooling efforts are tools worth investing in. They don’t have to be expensive or complicated devices, either. For instance, a simple neck wrap can be soaked in cool water and applied to wick heat away from the worker. These neck wraps are inexpensive and can be used over and over. They also help workers remain comfortable as well, which enables better, more reliable performance while on the job.
  5. Know the signs of dehydration – Dehydration isn’t just a danger to the worker. Once dehydration sets in, job performance suffers greatly, to the point where the worker may become a safety risk to themselves and those around them. According to a 2015 study published by Loughborough University, being dehydrated is the equivalent of being legally drunk when evaluating job performance. Even a modest amount of fluid loss (2 to 3 percent of the body’s total) is enough to induce considerable fatigue.
    Dehydration can produce a range of symptoms, including headaches, tiredness, dizziness and an inability to concentrate. Perhaps the most obvious sign of dehydration is dark urine color. When urine takes on a darker hue, as in darker than apple juice, it’s frequently due to dehydration and reduced fluid in the urine.
    There should always be someone on the worksite to spot any signs of severe dehydration or heat illness. Oversight in this area will hopefully stop instances of dangerous dehydration before they progress into medical emergencies.

Hydration is vitally important in protecting workers from harm while on the job. It’s up to employers, then, to implement these hydration safety methods and ensure their workers are prepared to meet the summer heat.

Stay Safe in the Heat: Sports and Heat Awareness Tips

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Whether you’re a coach or an athlete, there are several steps you can take to stay safe in the heat. With heat-related illnesses being an ever-present concern, here are some of the ways to stay heat aware and keep players and staff safe during practices and games:

  • Know the signs and symptoms of heat illness
  • Monitor on-field conditions in real time
  • Acclimate to high-risk conditions before intense exertion
  • Assess each athlete’s overall fitness level
  • Having a backup plan during periods of elevated heat risk
  • Establishing an emergency action plan (EAP) in the event heat stroke occurs

Among high school athletes, exertion-related heat stroke is a leading cause of preventable death. According to the National Federation of State School Associations (NFHS), 18 high school athletes have died due to heat exposure in the past 10 years during practice.

Athletes of all ages are at risk, not just children, so heat awareness is paramount at every level of competition. To help with that, here are some easily implemented and effective heat safety tips:

1) Know the Signs and Symptoms of Heat Illness

Heat exhaustion and heat stroke can come on suddenly, especially when temperatures and humidity levels rise gradually. That means vigilance is the first step in preventing heat illnesses. If the team’s coaches and trainers are familiar with the signs of heat exhaustion, they can intervene before it progresses to heat stroke.

Signs of heat exhaustion include:

  • Heavy sweating
  • Cool skin that may be moist to the touch
  • Dizziness and confusion
  • Fatigue and weakness
  • Nausea
  • Headache

If not treated, heat exhaustion may develop into heat stroke, which is a medical emergency. Heat stroke presents with profound confusion, difficulty speaking, a dangerously high body temperature (more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit), and loss of consciousness.

Heat stroke deaths are completely preventable if coaches, teammates and parents act as soon as someone shows signs of heat illness.

Heat Aware's Heat Cards - HATS-20A | The signs, symptoms and treatment of heat illnesses2) Monitoring On-field Conditions in Real Time

Prompt care is important for heat illnesses, but prevention is the priority. That starts with monitoring on-field conditions and responding quickly if conditions become dangerous.

Throughout practice, take several temperature readings and pay close attention to humidity levels, wind patterns, and sun exposure. You don’t need bulky, sophisticated equipment to do this. A simple liquid crystal thermometer (LCT) can provide accurate temperature readings. LCTs are also weightless and compact, so they’re often integrated into ID badges, and because they’re cost effective, they can be distributed among coaching and trainer staff.

With temperature-taking tools like LCTs on hand, the coaching staff can keep a close eye on practice conditions and respond when they are no longer safe.

3) Acclimating to High-risk Conditions Before Intense Exertion

The vast majority of serious heat illnesses occur during the first few practices, before everyone has had a chance to adjust to the weather and activity levels. The NFHS recommends coaches implement a heat acclimation program that progresses over several weeks and prioritizes the following:

  • Shorter, less intense practices
  • Longer recovery periods between stretches of activity
  • Focusing initial practices on instruction instead of conditioning
  • Introducing protective gear slowly during initial practices

Longer breaks, plenty of water and fluids and minimal protective gear reduce the heat burden on athletes as they ramp up conditioning. This acclimation period also gives coaches the ability to identify anyone with an elevated risk of heat illness.

4) Assessing Each Athlete’s Overall Fitness Level

Prior to intense practices, it’s important for the team’s doctors to assess each athlete’s health and fitness levels. This includes identifying any medical conditions or medications that may place the person at a higher risk of heat illness. Examples include obesity, heart conditions, and certain mental illnesses (which can make it difficult to detect changes in temperature).

With this information, the team’s trainers can dedicate extra attention to anyone at elevated risk. This could include providing additional fluids, taking the athlete’s vitals more often, and developing an individualized plan for high-risk individuals.

5) Having a Backup Plan During Periods of Elevated Heat Risk

In some cases, the heat is too dangerous for any athlete to practice – regardless of fitness level. It is up to the coaching staff to recognize this and adjust accordingly. In fact, the NFHS recommends that teams have a “plan B” for those times when heat derails practice. For example, coaches may move activities to an indoor facility where air conditioning is available. Or, coaches may reduce practice intensity, switching to instruction instead of exertion.

Whatever the team’s plan B, it should be established before it needs to be implemented. Identify an alternative location or practicing method and communicate this to the entire team. That way, when the backup plan is needed, it can be quickly implemented.

6) Establishing an EAP for Heat Stroke Events

Another plan that every sports team needs is an emergency action plan for heat stroke. EAPs specify everything the team needs to know when a player develops heat stroke, including:

  • Where to take the patient for rapid cooling
  • What resources are available for treating heat stroke, and where they are located
  • Procedures for treating the patient, depending on presentation of symptoms
  • Who to contact if a player experiences heat stroke
  • Contact information for the team’s doctor or medical staff

An EAP formalizes the team’s response to a heat-related medical emergency and encourages a rapid response when it’s needed most. Serious complications due to heat stroke may be averted with prompt treatment, and an EAP increases the likelihood that it will be delivered.

Stay Heat Aware So the Team Stays Safe During Summer Sports

When the heat is on during the summer, so is the risk for athletes. To keep players safe and in the game, it’s up to everyone to practice heat awareness. That starts with vigilance – tracking on-field conditions, specifically. Temperature-taking tools like LCTs can make it easier to monitor conditions without stretching the team’s budget.

Heat Awareness in Manufacturing Facilities

Heat Awareness in Manufacturing Facilities

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The Importance of Heat Awareness in Manufacturing Facilities

Heat illnesses and injuries are on the rise in the U.S., and this trend is also true of indoor workers. Shielded from outdoor heat exposure, it’s common for employers to overlook the importance of heat awareness in manufacturing facilities.

Given the severe, potentially fatal nature of heat illness, employers are required to take measures in preventing and responding to heat illnesses experienced by their employees.

Regulators are Emphasizing Improved Heat Awareness and Safety in Manufacturing Facilities

According to the EPA, the number of heat waves (defined by a four-day stretch of high temperatures above the 10-year average) has tripled since 1990. Unsurprisingly, heat injuries and illnesses have climbed alongside this trend, leading OSHA to begin discussions about national heat safety standards.

There are early signs that OSHA is getting tougher in this regard. In October 2021, the administration published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) – the first public step that OSHA takes before implementing new safety standards. The October 2021 ANPRM was specific to outdoor and indoor heat hazards, so it’s clearly an OSHA priority.

In April 2022, OSHA enacted a National Emphasis Program (NEP) that included three participating states – California, Minnesota, and Washington. The NEP is a three-year program that gives OSHA authority to perform on-the-spot workplace inspections for heat hazards. OSHA has inspected more than 1,500 businesses already in this fashion, and the resulting information will be used to further develop heat safety standards.

In the most recent update in November 2023, OSHA surveyed small businesses and interfaced with small business advocacy groups to gain further insight into heat safety implementation.

While it’s true that government maneuvers can take a long time to realize, there are clear signs that OSHA will launch new heat safety standards in the near future.

Common Heat Hazards in Manufacturing Facilities

OSHA’s interest in heat safety extends indoors as there are several hazards specific to manufacturing facilities and industrial centers. Heat-related risks may be elevated among employees working indoors, especially if the following factors are present:

  • Heat generating equipment and machinery – Milling machines, turning machines, presses and grinders all output significant amounts of heat that spills into the environment and puts workers at risk of heat illness. If the equipment is poorly insulated, it can cause an immediate heat hazard around the machinery’s operating area.
  • Other radiant heat sources – Other sources of radiant heat in manufacturing facilities include ovens, furnaces, and kilns. Each can output intense levels of thermal energy, requiring workers to don protective gear that increases heat risks.
  • Lack of air movement – Air circulation is essential for venting heat out of the facility and preserving safe working environments. In manufacturing centers, strategic fan and HVAC vent placement will help circulate cooler air through the facility. In warehouses, hangars, and other large industrial centers, opening up a large bay door can promote better air circulation.
  • Constant physical labor – Modern manufacturing facilities rely on automation to an extent, but there is still plenty of manual labor happening. With workers in constant motion, exertion-related heat must be factored in. If your employees do a lot of lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying, your facilities will need measures in place to offset that additional thermal output.
  • Heavy protective clothing – Personal protective equipment (PPE) may include heavy clothing that traps heat, causing the worker’s body temperature to rise, even if they’re standing in one spot. If there are other hazards at your facilities that demand safety wear, consider the additional thermal burden on employees.
  • Exposure to sunlight – Sunlight means heat, so if it’s cascading in through windows or open doors, your facilities will have additional thermal energy to contend with. It’s easy to dismiss a patch of sunlight here or there in a manufacturing facility, but it can be a threat if additional heat risks are present, like poor air circulation or heavy protective wear.

These hazards are in addition to extreme outdoor temperatures, which can also influence the relative heat levels inside buildings. Clearly, there are several heat-related risk factors to account for, but there are steps employers can take to lower the risk of heat illness affecting their employees.

How to Improve Heat Awareness in Manufacturing Facilities

The key to preventing heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and other heat illnesses is awareness. If workers are aware of heat stress symptoms and dangers, they can take the appropriate action before a situation becomes critical. Here is what employers can do to improve heat awareness in manufacturing facilities:

  • Developing a heat illness prevention plan – Every workplace must have a safety plan in place per OSHA regulations. With the level of heat danger and heat fatalities on the rise, employers are also encouraged to develop a heat-specific safety plan that tackles heat illnesses specifically.

This plan should include everything else on this list, as well as the plan’s training and implementation procedures.

  • Training each worker on the plan’s details – Every employee should undergo heat safety training, using the procedures and practices derived from your heat safety plan. Training typically includes pointing out heat hazards, noticing the symptoms of heat illness, the location and use of all heat safety resources (such as water or cooling stations), and emergency procedures should severe heat illness occur.
  • Identifying where heat hazards are likely to emerge – All heat safety plans should point out the location and nature of any heat hazards present at the facility. Consider including maps and floor plans to assist with this communication to facility staff and visitors.
  • Keeping an eye on environmental conditions – Working conditions can change quickly, so it’s important for your staff to monitor temperatures in real time. As environmental conditions change, your heat safety plan may call for additional measures, such as implementing work rotations or mandatory cooling breaks.
  • Investing in heat safety resources – An inexpensive and effective way to track temperature is to provide employees with liquid crystal thermometers (LCTs). LCTs are accurate within a degree or two and can provide a reading within seconds. The thermometers are practically weightless and can be scaled down to fit into a TWIC card or something similar. With LCT-integrated TWIC cards, your workers can wear their temperature-tracking tool on a lanyard or place it in a pocket.

Additional heat safety resources include heat safety signage, which is used to point out high-risk areas, first aid stations, showers, and other points of interest when a heat emergency develops. OSHA considers safety signage to be an irreplaceable aspect of worker safety, so investing in it now will keep your facilities compliant for longer.

  • Develop heat emergency protocols – Even with robust prevention methods in place, heat illness remains a threat to industrial workers. A heat safety plan should formalize any emergency response to optimize response time and effectiveness.

Emergency measures typically include moving the worker to a cool area, applying cool water or towels to the skin of the affected employee, administering fluids if possible, and contacting emergency medical personnel right away. It’s standard practice for a heat safety plan to include contact information for a nearby hospital or medical facility.

Heat Awareness in Manufacturing Facilities Can Save Lives

Heat illnesses and fatalities are becoming more common for workers across many industries and in many work settings. This includes indoor work settings like manufacturing facilities.

It’s a common but potentially costly mistake for facility operators to discount the severity of potential heat hazards, but there can be fatal consequences.

A proven approach to undercutting those hazards is preparation. Specifically, preparing workers with heat-specific training and resources. LCTs and safety signage are two examples of budget-friendly items that can boost heat awareness and safety in manufacturing facilities. Speak with your heat-aware specialist to see how you can protect your employees.

Why Heat Awareness is Essential for Occupational Safety Managers

Why Heat Awareness is Essential for Occupational Safety Managers

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Heat-related deaths are reaching new heights in the U.S., in part due to rising temperatures. Intense heat exposure also threatens workers, but they have more to contend with than environmental heat. Exertion-related heat should be considered, as well as heavy work clothing.

For occupational safety managers, these factors must be accounted for, as they can add up to serious heat illnesses like heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

When Temperatures Rise, Heat Awareness Should As Well

Many work settings can be characterized as a thermal energy-rich environment. Construction sites, manufacturing facilities, outdoor warehouses and quarries are just a few examples of such worksites, but excess heat exposure can occur anywhere – even in office buildings.

Wherever heat hazards do emerge, heat illnesses are sure to follow if safety managers don’t take the proper precautions. These illnesses can manifest in one of several forms – heat rash is an example. For safety managers, though, the principal concerns are heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Heat exhaustion and stroke share many of the same symptoms, including mental symptoms such as confusion, altered mood, slurred speech, dizziness, or loss of consciousness. Both heat illnesses require immediate intervention, but heat stroke is a medical emergency that can leave workers permanently, perhaps fatally injured.

Heat Stress is Dangerous for Workers and Costly for Companies

Dozens of workers are killed by excess occupational heat every year, and thousands more are injured. The human cost of lax heat safety measures is severe, even when taking fatalities out of the equation.

Heat-related injuries can leave workers unable to recapture their prior productivity. According to the World Health Organization, about 2 percent of all working hours every year are lost due to heat stress – a huge bite that makes heat one of the country’s biggest productivity sieves.

For employers, protecting worker health is of paramount importance. What’s also important is ensuring production benchmarks are hit. Heat hazards can get in the way of that, but occupational safety managers can mitigate heat dangers if they maintain awareness of heat hazards and implement safety measures to mitigate them.

How Occupational Safety Managers Can Protect Employees from Heat-related Injury

Heat is dangerous, in part, because it is insidious. It slowly increases in intensity until it’s enough to overtake workers. The only way to protect against this subtle, creeping danger is with vigilance. If everyone at the worksite, including safety managers, are committed to spotting and mitigating heat risks, then it will be easier to protect employees – and easier to respond to a heat emergency if one does arise.

Occupational safety managers are largely responsible for establishing heat awareness and establishing risk-reduction initiatives. Such initiatives may include:

  • Developing a heat-specific safety plan – OSHA requires employers to have a site safety plan that addresses all risks at the worksite. This general safety plan is designed to cover all hazards, but there’s nothing stopping employers from developing hazard-specific safety plans to better mitigate the most prevalent or dangerous concerns.

    At worksites where heat exposure is an ever-present threat, a heat-specific safety plan makes sense. Inside a heat-specific plan, safety managers can identify where heat hazards are the most severe and what managers can do to protect against them. This includes pointing out vital resources (first aid stations, showers, etc.), splitting workers and safety managers into working groups for accountability purposes, and listing out emergency procedures should a worker experience heat illness.

  • Organizing heat safety training prior to the project’s start – Safety managers are responsible for keeping all employees and supervisory personnel on the same page regarding safety. This is also true of heat safety, and the best way to ensure this preparedness is with adequate pre-project training.

    Heat training doesn’t need to be complicated or last long – it merely needs to reinforce heat risk mitigation procedures. The value here is boosting heat awareness among workers and managers so everyone is prepared in the event of an emergency.

  • Assessing risk on a worker-by-worker basis – People respond to heat exposure differently, and this varied response should be accounted for so the most vulnerable workers can be properly protected.

    Age, fitness level, overall health, experience, and role all factor into a worker’s vulnerability to heat. Prior to beginning work, these factors should be taken into consideration for each worker, so safety-first work rotations and break patterns can be established.

  • Acclimating workers during the project’s early phases – The majority of heat-related worker deaths and injuries occur in the first couple weeks of a project’s start. If employees aren’t given time to adjust to hot conditions, they are far more likely to be overwhelmed by the heat. For this reason, it’s highly recommended that safety managers slowly ramp up work activity over several days, giving workers plenty of breaks and limiting exertion during this period.
  • Ensuring workers have heat monitoring resources on them – One of the best ways to ensure workplace safety is to give workers access to temperature taking tools. As the people on the front lines against the heat, it’s critical that workers be able to remain aware of dangerous heat indexes.

    An inexpensive and reliable way to do this is with a liquid crystal thermometer (LCT). LCTs are accurate within a degree or two and can be embedded in a simple TWIC card for maximum usability. Within seconds, workers can get an updated look at ambient temperatures and take steps to protect themselves from dangerous levels of heat and humidity.

  • Prioritizing heat-related first aid resources – Safety managers are responsible for maintaining adequate first aid resources onsite, and at worksites where heat hazards are present, heat injury supplies should also be present. This includes the basics, such as cold compresses, ice packs and running water. Also consider electrolyte tablets for severe dehydration cases.

    These supplies should be easily accessed by work crews and their location marked in the heat safety plan for quick reference.

Heat Awareness is Imperative for Workplace Safety

Heat is an ever-present killer during the summer months, so occupational safety managers need to remain on their guard. They also need to remain aware of heat hazards on their worksites. And beyond awareness, safety managers must be ready to respond to heat illnesses, with adequate emergency resources and to-the-minute information provided by temperature-taking tools.

A Guide to Protecting Work Crews from the Summer Heat

A Guide to Protecting Work Crews from the Summer Heat

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As numerous heat records were shattered across the U.S. in the summer of 2023, it meant that people working outside were at major risk of heat-related illnesses like heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat illness is an invisible, but quite capable killer that’s caused dozens of fatalities and thousands of injuries over the past several years. And it is believed that those numbers are vastly underreported, as many heat-related illnesses and deaths fall outside the purview of government regulators.

Employers are responsible for protecting their crews from heat hazards, and these protective measures must be reinforced at every level of the organization. In this guide, we’ll address what steps contractors can take to safeguard the health of their crews.

Judging Heat Conditions on Site: Don’t Focus Only on the Temperature

Elevated temperatures are an obvious heat-related danger, and as such, it’s important for supervisors to keep an eye on the thermometer. But there’s more to heat risk than temperature alone, as humidity, solar exposure, and wind speed all play a role as well.

For example, heat index values factor humidity into the equation and is therefore a useful alternative to temperature alone along the Gulf Coast, where high levels of summer humidity are expected.

Some contractors now use the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) – a metric utilized by the U.S. military for decades – that also factors in solar exposure and wind speed. In other words, WBGT is most relevant for people working in direct sunlight.

As actual, on-the-ground heat dangers vary with humidity, sun exposure and other factors, it’s recommended that contractors use heat index values to assess field conditions.

What Does OSHA Have to Say About Heat Safety?

OSHA doesn’t have heat-specific safety regulations on the books, but employers are still held to the General Duty Clause, which requires companies to identify and protect workers from any onsite hazards.

Employers can’t use “but there’s no OSHA heat safety standard” as an excuse, in other words.

The agency does have plenty of heat safety resources to draw from, though, including informational literature and tips for employers. This includes guidance on every part of the safety planning process, which can be extremely helpful for new contractors that don’t have an emergency action plan (EAP) in place.

Here are some practical tips for mitigating dangerous summer temperatures for every phase of the project.

Before the job begins: Create a Heat Safety Plan and Raise Awareness of Heat Hazards

Before mobilization, contractors should have a firm idea of the jobsite’s layout and where heat hazards are likely to emerge. For instance, if there’s a part of the site that’s exposed to dawn-to-dusk sunlight, it may be a good idea to avoid setting up any workstations in that area.

This is the kind of thinking that should be included in the project’s Emergency Action Plan (EAP). In fact, some contractors go a step further and draft a heat-specific safety plan. Given the extreme temperatures affecting some parts of the country (the south and southeast, most notably), heat-specific plans make a lot of sense. Each EAP should include the following:

  • The location and nature of any heat hazards on the jobsite. While trapped heat is usually a problem for interior work areas only, they can emerge on construction sites and other exterior work environments as well.
  • The location of any cooling stations or any air-conditioned areas. If heat illness does occur, moving the affected worker to a cool spot with shade is critical.
  • An inventory and location of all heat injury resources, such as cold packs, towels, and fluids.
  • A set of processes that specify what to do and who to contact should someone come down with heat illness.
  • The contact information for any nearby emergency medical institutions.

Once this plan is established, it must be communicated to all levels of leadership and to the workers themselves. Ideally, leadership and the crew would be involved in helping put together a heat safety plan. This will ensure that everyone on the team has a clear understanding of the company’s heat safety policies. Regular training, toolbox talks, and unscheduled drills are all worthy investments to ensure maximum heat safety awareness.

This training should also address what signs and symptoms of heat illness to look for, as other workers are likely to spot them first in their coworkers. They include:

  • Dizziness
  • Confusion
  • Slurred speech
  • Headache and muscle pain
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Loss of consciousness

Invest in Tools That Monitor Heat Levels

If your workers can keep an eye on the temperature, they’ll be more aware of the heat and more likely to observe heat safety protocols.

The right tools are essential for jobsite safety, and when it comes to heat-related dangers, one such tool is a liquid crystal thermometer, as LCTs are compact, lightweight, and offer instant information about the temperature. LCTs can be encapsulated and scaled down to fit inside TWIC cards, which can be worn on a lanyard, kept in a pocket, or tossed in the toolbox. LCTs are accurate and can also include the company’s branding or additional heat safety information.

In this way, LCTs offer double advantages in safety and cost effectiveness, as they’re inexpensive to procure at volume and give workers a highly usable tool for remaining aware of the heat.

Get Workers Acclimated to the Heat and Set Up a Cooling Station

According to OSHA, about 75 percent of all heat-related deaths occur in the first week of the job. It takes time for the body to adjust to extreme heat stress, especially for people who aren’t accustomed to the climate or strenuous activity. To avoid overloading the team early on, OSHA recommends the 20 percent rule. The idea behind this is to slowly work up to full capacity in the sun over several days.

Assuming an 8-hour workday, using the 20 percent rule, workers should only spend one hour and 40 minutes (20 percent) in the sun during their first day on the project. They can spend the rest of the day working without heat stress. Every subsequent day, add another 20 percent in the sun until they’re up to full capacity. Some workers may need a bit longer to adjust, and it’s better to be safe than sorry, so allow for that time for adequate acclimation.

At the project’s outset, this is also the time to establish a cooling station. It should remain in the shade throughout the day and always have water available. Some contractors set up tents with circulating fans for additional heat relief, and if there’s an air-conditioned room they can access while cooling, even better.

Keep Safety Personnel on High Alert, Encourage Regular Breaks and Reduce Work Intensity in High Heat

During the peak of summer, there may be no relief from dangerously hot days. Where possible, shifting work to the evening or night hours is recommended, but noise ordinances may prevent this.

When work must be done during the day, being proactive is the rule. That means doing the following:

  • Enforcing regular water breaks. During high activity periods, giving workers a break every 15 minutes to drink fluids is recommended. Stick to water rather than caffeinated beverages.
  • Cycling work teams out of the sun regularly. If possible, cycling workers between sun-exposed and shaded workstations can reduce heat stress.
  • Occasionally taking worker vitals to spot early signs of heat stress. This should only be done by trained medical personnel.
  • Keeping the contact information for any medical authorities in an easily accessible place, so it can be instantly referenced in an emergency.

In general, the point is to remain on high alert while heat indexes are at their most punishing. The faster everyone responds to severe heat illness, the better the affected worker’s chances of fully recovering.

Summer Heat Can Be Fatal, but Employers Can Keep Their Team Safe with the Right Protective Measures

While summers have always been hot, recent summers have produced deadly levels of heat. For work crews, heat illnesses can emerge suddenly and may be severe, if not deadly. But with effective planning, emergency resources, cooling equipment, and a commitment to heat awareness, employers can keep their project sites and workers safe and heat injury free.

Practical Tips for Avoiding Heat Illness on the Job

Practical Tips for Avoiding Heat Illness on the Job

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The U.S. Department of Labor states that occupational heat illnesses are widely under-reported. And yet, dozens of workers die every year from heat stroke and thousands more are seriously injured. What’s worse is that almost every single one of those heat injuries would’ve been preventable with effective safety measures in place.

Those measures aren’t difficult to establish, however, and there are low-cost, high impact resources that can help support a safe workplace.

Here are five examples of practical tips for avoiding heat illness on the job:

1) Know the Signs and Symptoms of Heat Illnesses

Before heat illnesses progress to potentially fatal emergencies, there are usually noticeable signs of distress that others can respond to. Heat exhaustion, for example, typically presents prior to heat stroke, but it may progress to heat stroke within minutes. It’s therefore critical that safety personnel and workers know what signs to respond to.

The symptoms of heat illness are:

  • Heavy sweating or complete lack of it
  • Elevated body temperature
  • Fatigue and weakness
  • Confusion
  • Headaches
  • Dizziness
  • Weak, racing pulse
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Agitation
  • In severe instances, loss of consciousness may also be present

Sometimes, the above symptoms may come on quickly, but in many cases, the affected worker will demonstrate tell-tale signs in time to administer treatment. If provided promptly, treatment can stop minor heat illnesses from developing into something more serious.

That’s why everyone shares responsibility for detecting heat illness on the worksite. That includes the workers themselves, as they know their coworkers best and are usually right there when heat dangers are at their most intense.

2) Develop and Implement a Heat-Specific Safety Plan

According to OSHA regulations, every worksite is expected to have an emergency action plan (EAP) in place. At a minimum, the EAP must include:

  • The location of emergency exits and exit routes. These should be mapped onto a floorplan of the worksite.
  • What medical or fire authorities to contact in the event of an emergency.
  • How to alert employees when an emergency is in progress and how to contact family or next of kin, as well.

From OSHA’s perspective, that’s sufficient for an EAP, but employers overseeing hazardous worksites are expected to go a bit further with their safety planning. And on sites where dangerous levels of heat are expected, it makes sense for employers to develop a heat-specific safety plan. Such a plan should include the following:

  • The location and nature of any heat-related hazards on the job site. In areas like cement plants, mills, foundries, fabrication plants and other industrial centers, heat may concentrate in spots to the point where it results in hazardous conditions.
  • A series of procedures to be deployed should a heat-related emergency occur.
  • What processes are in place to monitor and mitigate any heat hazards.
  • An inventory of all heat-related medical resources and their locations on the worksite.
  • Contact information for a nearby emergency medical facility. Time is critical when treating heat illness, as it may only take minutes for symptoms to progress to something life-threatening. If heat stroke does occur, contacting the medical facility on file should be one of the first measures taken.

3) Ensure Onsite Safety Personnel are Prioritizing Heat Hazards

A heat safety plan is only effective if it’s implemented and practice drills are performed periodically. That’s where the company’s leadership must take charge. This starts with top-level management, but every link in the leadership chain, down to onsite safety and medical personnel should be on the same page regarding how to manage heat risks.

For example, when elevated temperatures are present, onsite medical personnel should regularly check worker vitals, including body temperature and pulse, to detect the early signs of heat illness. Safety personnel should also consider altering work practices when the heat and humidity is higher, such as rotating crews in and out of shade, enforcing water breaks and switching to light duty.

Maintaining safe conditions means being proactive, and this responsibility falls to the company’s management, and who it empowers to ensure safety.

4) Give Crews the Tools Needed to Monitor Temperatures

Safety planning and training are critical for reducing the risk of heat illness. Another important piece of the heat safety puzzle – investing in heat monitoring tools that workers can use in the field. After all, your field workers deal with the worst effects of heat exposure, so empowering them with better information can save lives. Even better, many of these resources are simple to use and inexpensive to invest in.

For example, many contractors provide their workers with TWIC cards that house liquid crystal thermometers that use thermochromic liquid crystals (TLCs) to measure heat levels. When exposed to heat, TLCs alter their orientation and physical structure – which also changes their optical qualities. In other words, TLCs change color with changing temperatures, and TWIC cards can be designed with microencapsulated pockets of these TLCs, so workers have a reliable, simple-to-use thermometer always on hand.

TWIC cards are inexpensive per unit and are extremely cost effective when purchased in volume. Contractors can therefore outfit their entire crew with temperature-taking equipment and safeguard them, without stressing the project’s budget.

5) Give Crews the Resources They Need to Treat Heat Illness

With heat illness, the best defense is preparation. That means preparing work crews for what to do if a heat-related emergency does occur. That includes the following:

  • Setting up a “cooldown area” that has shade and fluids for workers to drink. If a worker starts showing signs of heat exhaustion, they can stay out of the sun and rest here. Consider adding fans to circulate air through the area.
  • Identifying all sources of running water at the job site and ensuring this water can be accessed if a worker does experience heat illness.
  • Keeping a modest store of emergency heat illness supplies on hand, including towels, electrolyte tablets and ice packs.
  • Drilling workers on what to do if someone gives in to heat stress. This includes applying cold packs or water to the affected worker, contacting emergency personnel right away, and moving the person to a cooler environment.

By preparing for the worst-case scenario, workers can respond appropriately when heat illness occurs and potentially avoid a fatal outcome.

Heat Illnesses Can Cause Serious, Even Fatal Injury, So Provide the Tools Necessary to Keep Your Crews Safe

Heat can be a killer, and at some projects sites it’s also impossible to avoid. However, there are plenty of ways that contractors and work teams can mitigate the risk of heat illness.

Much of this boils down to preparedness, as heat illnesses can be treated and reversed with prompt action. As such, it’s important for contractors to have safety measures in place to respond when heat exhaustion or stroke does occur. And it’s also important for workers to have the temperature-taking tools they need to keep a close eye on heat levels. In this way, everyone from top leadership to field workers can remain safe and aware of the heat.