Heat Hazards

How Can Employers Protect Workers from Heat Stress?

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According to the EPA, dozens of workers die every year from heat illnesses, and almost all of them are preventable. There are some important measures employers can take to protect workers from heat stress, including:

  • Installing heat stress-related occupational safety signage
  • Monitoring working conditions in real time to identify when heat stress is present
  • Identifying workers who may be at an elevated risk of heat illness
  • Ensuring workers take breaks at designated cooling stations
  • Adjusting work rotations to protect workers from extended heat exposure
  • Developing a heat-specific emergency action plan and safety plan

Together, these heat safety measures can provide a critical layer of protection for your most vulnerable employees. And the stakes are high, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics and EPA believe that occupational heat deaths are vastly underreported – perhaps due to misclassification of worker deaths and the presence of undocumented workers in high heat risk industries, like construction, chemical plants and landscaping companies.

How Employers Can Protect Workers from Heat Stress

Fortunately, there are many low-cost, highly effective measures that employers can put in place to protect their workers from heat stress. Some of these safety measures include:

  • Installing heat stress-related occupational safety signage – Safety signage is cost effective to install, doesn’t have to be powered up, is always present and does the job of alerting workers to dangerous conditions. It’s also available for a full range of potential hazards, including heat stress hazards. When installed near sources of intense heat such as commercial ovens, furnaces, foundries, etc., safety signage provides advance notice of heat risks and allows workers to take appropriate steps to protect themselves.
  • Monitoring work conditions to identify periods of heat stress – The best defense against heat is useful information and vigilance. If your workers and supervisors know when work conditions are threatened by heat stress, they can be better prepared. The best way to do this is to provide your employees with heat-monitoring tools, such as liquid crystal thermometers (LCTs).
    LCTs provide an instant temperature reading that’s accurate within a degree or two, and they are so lightweight they can be integrated into a variety of materials. For example, LCTs can be placed in employee TWIC cards, which can easily be worn on a lanyard or carried by workers. When the LCT indicates dangerous heat stress, protective measures can be instituted. TWIC cards with LCTs are inexpensive, can be produced in large quantities and can be branded with the company’s information and logo.
  • Identifying workers who have an elevated risk of heat illness – Some workers are more susceptible to heat stress than others. Certain health conditions, lifestyle factors and characteristics (such as age) will increase the likelihood of a person developing heat illness. Further, employees new to the job will also be at a higher risk of heat stress until they are acclimated to strenuous work in elevated temperatures.
    When bringing on new employees, it’s important that the company’s medical staff review each new hire’s health history to identify any potential concerns. If such concerns are present, high-risk workers may need to be placed on lighter work rotations or take additional breaks when heat dangers are present. New workers should be given an acclimation period (usually 2-4 weeks) to slowly ramp up their activity until they’re able to work in the at full capacity safely.
  • Ensuring workers take breaks at designated cooling stations – Regular breaks are critical for protecting workers from heat stress, and the hotter it gets, the more rest periods are needed for safety.
    Employers can protect their workers further by investing in simple cooling stations for their workers to rest at. Each cooling station should have regularly replenished supplies of cool water, shade and, ideally, circulating air. Even better, if your worksite has access to air-conditioned areas, this will help employees keep their cool when the heat is on.
  • Adjusting work rotations to protect workers from extended heat exposure – When temperatures climb, workers must reduce their exposure to the heat to protect themselves. This is especially important if your workers are also subjected to constant sun exposure.
    A simple protective measure during periods of high heat risk is to shorten work rotations or maintain workstations that include less strenuous labor (or labor that’s removed from heat and sun). As heat stresses worsen on the worksite, supervisors can protect their workers by rotating them through these lower risk stations while maintaining productivity.
  • Developing a heat-specific safety and emergency action plan (EAP) – It’s standard practice for employers to implement safety plans and EAPs, but some take this essential practice a step further by creating heat-specific plans.
    A heat-specific safety plan is used to identify potential heat risks at the worksite, as well as outline the steps and procedures the company’s staff will take to mitigate those hazards. Also included in a safety plan are the names and contact information for the people responsible for enforcing the plan.
    A heat-specific EAP outlines the steps onsite personnel must take in the event of a heat stress emergency. It should include an inventory of onsite emergency resources (such as cooling packs), a list of treatment procedures to follow, and who to contact should an emergency occur. An EAP can be lifesaving when heat illnesses happen, as they can develop into life-threatening events quickly.

Employers Can Protect Their Workers from Heat Stress Without Stressing Their Budgets

Heat dangers are very real for workers who labor in heavy-duty industries or those that are regularly exposed to elevated temperatures. These dangers can prove fatal if not addressed properly, and that responsibility falls on employers. Heat safety measures are generally inexpensive to implement and are effective at protecting workers from heat stress.

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 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.

Why Heat Related Workplace Injuries Need to be a Top Priority to Occupational Health and Safety Managers

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Heat related workplace injuries are a threat to employees in a number of heavy-duty industries, including:

  • Construction
  • Manufacturing
  • Oil and gas
  • Transportation
  • Warehousing
  • Food processing
  • Mining
  • Agriculture
  • Firefighting

Workers in these industries are at elevated risk of developing heat illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke, elevating the need for safety measures being implemented for workplace injury protection. Occupational health and safety managers are responsible for implementing this heat-related protection, and there are proven methods for doing so. Here, we’ve included four ways occupational safety managers can make heat injury prevention a priority for their workplaces.

Heat Hazards in the Workplace: By the Numbers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is responsible for tracking workplace injuries, including heat related injuries. According to its 2011-2020 data, there were 33,890 heat injuries severe enough to result in missed work time. That’s an average of just under 3,400 heat-related illnesses in the workplace annually. The BLS’s fatal occupational injury census also estimates that between 1992 and 2021, 999 workers died due to environmental heat exposure. That’s an average of 33 fatalities every year.

However, the BLS data is believed to vastly underestimate the real problem due to the following factors:

  • Limitations in employee and employer reported data
  • Different interpretations of what constitutes a heat injury by medical personnel
  • Unreported health conditions that may have been exacerbated by heat exposure
  • Latent, late-onset symptoms caused by the heat illness
  • A large variance in heat illness symptoms and their influence on decision making

Together, these factors make it impossible to accurately gauge heat risks, and it’s likely that the number of heat injuries and illnesses is higher than reported.

Four Things Occupational Safety Managers Can Do to Make Heat Illnesses a Priority

Thousands of workers are injured every year by excessive heat exposure and dozens are killed. For businesses operating in high-risk industries, heat safety can be a matter of life and death. Here’s what employers can do to protect their workers from heat-related illness:

1) Establish a heat-specific safety plan

Employers are not required to author a safety plan, but they do help with regulatory compliance and are therefore highly recommended. A heat-specific safety plan goes a step further and prioritizes heat injury prevention.

Your heat safety plan should include the following:

  • Documentation that identifies the location and nature of all heat hazards. This could be a list, a diagram, a floor plan, or other supporting documentation
  • An inventory of all heat related medical supplies and their location
  • A list of emergency procedures should a worker develop heat illness
  • Contact information for a nearby medical facility
  • The names and contact information for everyone responsible for enforcing the safety plan

Your company’s heat safety plan is a primary safety training resource. As such, it should be used by managers to enforce heat illness prevention efforts and ensure all workers abide by them.

2) Make heat safety a priority with your safety signage

Heat safety is a matter of vigilance. It’s important for workers to always be prepared when environmental heat has reached unsafe levels or when exertion may cause unsafe conditions. To ensure your employees are always ready, consider investing in additional safety signage. Employers are required to point out potential workplace hazards, and safety signage is a proven way to do this.

Occupational safety signage can be customized for heat hazards and used to point out where workers are at a high risk of heat exposure. For example, such signage would be a good fit near:

  • Ovens
  • Furnaces
  • Foundries
  • Boiler rooms
  • Interior areas where sunlight is present
  • Areas where high exertion work is present

By placing heat safety signage near these areas, occupational health and safety managers can ensure their employees are on alert around high-risk areas.

3) Equip your workers with heat safety resources

Employees should have easy access to cooling stations that supply water, shade, air conditioning and rest. If a worker is affected by heat stress, moving them to one of these cooling stations is recommended for a rapid first line of treatment. Workers should also be given regular breaks where they can recover at a cooling station.

In addition to well-stocked cooling stations, occupational safety managers can protect their workers by providing them with valuable information. As the temperature and workplace conditions change, it’s important for workers to identify these changes as soon as they occur. One way to do this is to supply employees with temperature-taking tools like liquid crystal thermometers (LCTs). LCTs are light, easy to use and provide an accurate temperature reading within seconds. LCTs can also be integrated into employee TWIC cards, so workers can put them in an open toolbox, wear then on lanyards, or carry them in a pocket. In seconds, workers can get an accurate reading of current workplace conditions and adjust accordingly.

4) Train employees to recognize and respond to the signs of heat illness

No matter what heat safety measures your company has in place, your workers must be ready to respond to heat illness when it emerges. That means knowing the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Those symptoms include:

  • Excessive sweating or complete lack of it
  • Fatigue
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Confusion
  • Loss of coordination
  • Slurred speech
  • Elevated body temperature

If any signs of heat illness are present, your workers should have an emergency action plan (EAP) that kicks in immediately. Your EAP should specify any emergency response measures, point out the location of any emergency medical supplies, dictate where workers are to receive medical attention and who should be notified in the event of a heat related emergency.

Before beginning work in any hazardous environment, employees should be trained on the company’s EAP and on the nature of heat illness. New workers should also have time to acclimate to workplace heat sources and the company’s heat safety processes.

Make Heat Related Workplace Injuries a Priority With Improved Safety Standards

Heat hazards are a threat to workers, and the consequences of excessive heat exposure can be fatal. Occupational health and safety managers are the most important line of defense against deadly heat hazards, but safety managers have measures they can take to protect employees. Developing a heat safety plan, installing safety signage, investing in heat safety resources and focused safety training can make the difference in shielding workers from deadly heat exposure on the job.

Why Heat Awareness Still Matters in Winter

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Why Heat Awareness Still Matters in the Winter

Many workers are still exposed to heat risks during the winter, even when temperatures are plummeting outside. That’s because indoor workers may labor in high-heat environments fraught with potential hazards, which is why heat awareness still matters in winter.

Employers are responsible for identifying risks on the job and protecting employees from them. This includes putting together a heat safety plan, adequately training workers on that plan, and providing workers with the resources they need to protect themselves, regardless of the season.

Which Workers are at Risk of Heat Illness During the Winter?

Some indoor work environments put workers at a high risk of heat illness year-round. Some of those industries include:

  • Bakeries and commercial kitchens
  • Manufacturing centers with intense heat sources, such as concrete plants
  • Iron and steel foundries
  • Facilities with boiler rooms – such as electrical utility stations
  • Commercial laundries
  • Warehouses

Workers in these environments require additional protections from heat hazards, even during the winter. Consider this – the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined that, from 2011 to 2018, of the 20 workers who died of heat exposure, eight of them were indoor workers. Winter weather or not, indoor heat risks persist through the season.

Common Causes of Indoor Heat Exposure

Many employers make the mistake of assuming that because their workers are inside, they are shielded from extreme temperatures. But this isn’t always the case. Indoor workers may still be affected by excessive heat due to the following:

  • Intense local heat sources – Furnaces and ovens can output intense blasts of heat and create pockets of dangerous thermal activity. Bakeries, food processing centers and foundries are examples. In these settings, focusing temperature sensors and safety efforts near high-thermal zones makes sense.
  • Heavy exertion – Extended heavy exertion can raise a worker’s body temperature to dangerous levels, even during the winter. Employers cannot assume that low ambient air temperatures are enough to protect workers engaged in heavy duty work. This is especially true for new workers who haven’t had time to adjust.
  • Protective wear and equipment – Protective clothing and equipment (PPE) reduces air flow to the worker’s skin. As such, people wearing PPE are at risk of heat illness when exerting themselves. External heat sources may worsen the effects of PPE.
  • Insufficient or inefficient cooling technology – Poor air circulation and insufficient cooling are common causes of indoor overheating. It’s important to verify that your facility’s HVAC technology can handle the heating load that your workers and equipment generate. Regular maintenance is also essential and is considered part of an employer’s general duty to their employees.

When indoor workers experience heat illness – heat exhaustion and heat stroke, for example – the above factors are typically present.

Federal and State Safety Standards for Occupational Heat Hazards

Federal and state agencies recognize the potential for heat illness during the winter. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) general duty clause requires employers to provide a work environment that is free of hazards that could cause serious or fatal injury. This extends to hazards that could cause heat illness.

Some states have implemented additional heat hazard provisions to protect workers. Those states include:

  • California
  • Colorado
  • Minnesota (with specific provisions for indoor heat safety)
  • Oregon
  • Washington

This demonstrates that heat awareness still matters in the winter for employers.

How to Protect Workers from Heat Illnesses During the Winter

Heat is an invisible killer, but there are clear steps that employers can take to prevent heat from threatening employees. Those steps include:

  • Developing a heat-specific safety plan – OSHA does not require employers to have a detailed safety plan in writing, but it does require all employers and managers to be aware of potential workplace hazards. So even though it isn’t required, developing a heat safety plan can help organize your company’s safety efforts and protect your crew. If heat exposure is a risk to your indoor workers, a heat-specific safety plan will ensure no heat hazard is left unchecked. Your plan should identify all potential heat hazards in the work environment and specify measures to protect people from them. Further, your plan should name who is accountable for enforcing those measures.This plan will serve as the foundation for your heat safety processes. It will also be used to train workers.
  • Training employees on heat safety protocols – Once your company has established a heat safety plan, you will need to communicate the plan to workers. Set aside time to train workers on heat risks as this will encourage employees to take ownership of their own safety and the safety of others.
  • Acclimating new employees – Workers who haven’t had time to adjust are more likely to experience heat illness. Most occupational heat-related deaths involve people who have only been on the job for a short time. As such, it is extremely important for employers to give new workers a chance to acclimate to elevated temperatures. This includes gradually scaling up the length of work shifts, providing additional breaks and closely monitoring new workers for any signs of heat illness. Free access to water and cooling stations are also critical.
  • Recognizing the signs and symptoms of heat illness – Although heat illness can emerge suddenly, there is usually a short window during which it can be treated before it becomes an emergency. However, your workers and managers must be familiar with the signs and symptoms of heat illness to act. Heat exhaustion is characterized by excessive sweating, cold or clammy skin, weakness, fatigue, confusion, nausea, vomiting, a weak pulse, headaches and dizziness. Heat stroke presents with red and dry skin, body temperature in excess of 103 degrees, a strong pulse, profound confusion and dizziness, slurred speech and loss of consciousness. The goal for managers and coworkers is to notice when a worker may be affected by minor heat injuries. When detected, removing workers for prompt treatment is critical. Vigilance saves lives.
  • Monitoring indoor temperatures and work conditions – Being proactive is important if heat is a threat. Work conditions can change rapidly and become hazardous before anyone realizes it, especially if there aren’t heat monitoring resources in place. Temperature-tracking tools can alert safety personnel to potentially dangerous conditions indoors. Temperature sensors should be placed near known heat sources and used to determine when heat levels are unsafe. For optimal safety, empower workers to track temperatures on their own. A simple and cost-effective way to do this is with TWIC cards embedded with liquid crystal thermometers (LCTs). LCTs provide a quick, accurate temperature reading. TWIC cards are inexpensive, lightweight, and can give workers advance notice of elevated temperatures before safety personnel need to intervene. This can give your workers the advantage in identifying dangerous conditions before they cause heat illness.

The above measures will improve your team’s ability to respond to heat-related emergencies before they cause serious or fatal injury. Or, even better, prevent those emergencies from happening in the first place.

Heat Awareness Still Matters in Winter, So Keep Your Crews Prepared

Excessive heat can cause serious injury or death, even during the winter. As such, employers are required – as per OSHA’s general duty clause – to put heat safety measures in place. Fortunately, these measures are simple and inexpensive to implement. They include devising a heat-specific safety plan, raising heat awareness among workers, and investing in safety resources like LCTs and other temperature monitoring tools.

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.

Preparing Your Crew for the Summer Heat

Preparing Your Crew for the Summer Heat

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Every year, summer heat kills dozens of workers and injures thousands more. As such, summer heat is a critical safety factor to account for. Heat exhaustion, and its deadlier cousin heat stroke, can produce life-threatening acute symptoms and long-term complications. Also, a single heat injury leaves people more susceptible to future heat injuries, so they’re a high priority risk.

If your crew’s busy season is the summer season, then it’s time to address workplace heat safety. That way, your crew will be ready for any weather they face.

Know the Signs and Consequences of Heat-Related Injury

The best defense against heat injury is attention. By paying attention and responding to the emerging signs of heat illness, the worst injuries can be avoided. Those at elevated risk of heat injury – the elderly and those with high blood pressure – may experience a more rapid and severe onset of symptoms.

There are multiple types of heat injuries, ranging in severity. They include:

  • Heat cramps – Heat cramps are a common first sign of heat injury and are more common in people who sweat heavily. They’re caused by an excessive loss of sodium via sweating and can produce painful spasms in the abdomen or extremities.
  • Heat exhaustion – Heat exhaustion sits between heat cramps and heat stroke in terms of severity. When the body starts losing its ability to regulate its internal temperature, heat exhaustion follows. Signs include headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, excessive thirst, and reduced urination.
  • Heat stroke – Heat stroke is the most severe form of heat illness and is capable of inflicting fatal injury. In people with heat stroke, internal temperatures are dangerously high, and the body’s sweat-related processes fail. Heat stroke can quickly cause severe, including permanent, injury. Symptoms include loss of consciousness, confusion, seizures and either extreme sweating or no sweating at all. Emergency treatment is required to prevent fatal injury.
  • Rhabdomyolysis – Rhabdomyolysis commonly presents with heat stroke and is characterized by the rapid destruction and breakdown of muscle tissue. It can be caused by many things, including prolonged exertion in hot conditions.
    Rhabdomyolysis is a medical emergency, as muscle tissue releases proteins (myoglobin) when it is destroyed. The myoglobin can reach the kidneys and cause serious damage to them. Symptoms include muscle cramps, weakness, and dark-colored urine. Many people who experience rhabdomyolysis, though, are asymptomatic.

By taking note of the above signs and symptoms, your safety teams will spot heat injuries before they progress from bad to worse.

Create a Heat-Specific Safety Plan

Ideally, heat injuries are prevented, not just treated. And at busy worksites, the best way to prevent injury is to plan for it.

For some industries and major construction projects, safety plans are an OSHA requirement. However, many project managers go a step further and create site-specific safety plans – which often boil down to hazard-specific safety plans. On worksites where heat is a likely hazard, a heat-specific safety plan will improve preparedness should a heat injury occur. This plan may include the following:

  • Temperature data taken from the worksite
  • Provisions for how workers can monitor temperatures in the field
  • Where “hotspots” are likely to emerge
  • How and where workers will be given breaks to recover
  • Where heat-related first aid resources are located
  • What to do when a heat injury does emerge
  • Who to contact if a heat-related emergency occurs – or where to take an injured worker if there is an emergency
  • Assigning who is responsible for enforcing heat safety protocols

Once this plan is in place, it should be communicated to every work team and demonstrated through example by project leadership.

Establish Areas Where Workers Can Rest and Hydrate

Breaks and hydration are necessary for safety purposes, which means a shady, cool area to rest and plenty of water to drink. You can establish break areas with a tent, in a temporary, climate-controlled building, or just a well-shaded spot. Target areas that receive shade for extended periods of time, as these remain cooler throughout the day. High-volume fans are another inexpensive, but effective means of heat control.

Heat illness follows dehydration, so frequent water breaks are important for worker health. Depending on the heat index (a combination of temperature and humidity), workers may need up to 32 ounces of water every hour (a cup every 15 minutes) to maintain hydration. Make sure that there’s enough for every crew member, and that someone is assigned to get more water if necessary.

Keep an Eye on Changing Field Conditions, and Respond Accordingly

Even when the proper safety measures are taken, conditions can get to the point where working safely is too risky to manage. These dangerous conditions can creep up on worksites and safety managers, so monitoring the site’s heat index is a priority.

One way to do this is with cards designed with encapsulated liquid crystal (ELC) thermometers. ELC is made up of crystals that are highly sensitive to changes in temperature. Specifically, they twist and shift as heat increases, changing the way they absorb and reflect wavelengths of light. To us, we see this as a change in color. As heat increases or decreases, ELC thermometers change color, and they’re tiny enough to be incorporated into laminated cards.

If every worker is given one of these cards, which they wear on a lanyard or keep in their pocket – they’ll always be aware of worsening field conditions. ELC thermometers are accurate to within a couple degrees, too, so they can be relied on.

With the Right Safety Measures and Resources in Place, Workers Can Beat the Summer Heat

For many workers, heat is unavoidable. It can be planned for, though, and this goes a long way in preventing heat injuries. Such preparation should include onsite first aid resources, safety personnel, frequent hydration breaks, and heat monitoring equipment, among other measures.

With these policies in place, your teams can avoid a potentially tragic, and certainly avoidable emergency.