Working in Hot Conditions © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408

Session Objectives You will be able to: Understand how hot conditions affect your body Recognize symptoms of heat illness Take precautions to reduce the risk of heat illness

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 What You Need to Know Why working in hot conditions can be hazardous to your health and safety Types of heat-related illness Measures to prevent heat stress on the job

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 Body’s Cooling System Blood circulates closer to the skin so heat is lost Body sends sweat to the skin’s surface Sweat evaporates off the skin, cooling the body

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 The Heat Equation High Temperature + High Humidity + Physical Work = Heat Illness

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 Additional Heat Stress Factors Radiant heat Air velocity

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 Personal Sensitivity To Heat Acclimatization (getting used to heat) Age Physical condition and overall health Metabolism Use of alcohol

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 Heat Rash Hot, humid environments where sweat can’t evaporate Red, bumpy rash that often itches Uncomfortable, making sleep difficult Treatment and prevention: Rest in a cool place Keep your skin dry and clean

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 Fainting (Heat Syncope) Worker not used to hot environment Worker stands still in heat Blood pools in the legs, so less blood goes to the brain Quick recovery after lying down in cool place Prevent by moving around a little rather than standing still all the time

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 Heat Cramps Painful muscle cramps Caused by loss of salt when sweating Treated/prevented by drinking electrolyte liquids Severe cases require intravenous saline solutions

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 Heat Exhaustion Loss of fluids and salt Feeling weak, dizzy, or nauseous Skin is clammy and complexion is pale or flushed Treatment: Rest in cool place Drink electrolyte solution Severe cases: victims vomit or lose consciousness

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 Heatstroke Victim stops sweating Symptoms include hot, dry skin Confusion, convulsions, or loss of consciousness may follow Call for an ambulance immediately Keep victim cool and provide fluids if conscious

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 Heat-Related Illness Do you understand the information presented in the previous slides?

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 Heat Can Cause Accidents Decreased strength, increased fatigue Reduced comprehension and ability to retain information Safety procedures not followed Other risks

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 Engineering Controls General ventilation Spot cooling

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 Engineering Controls (cont.) Shielding from radiant heat sources Substituting machinery for manual labor

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 Administrative Controls Schedule heavy work for a cooler time of year or in the evening and early morning Allow more frequent breaks or longer rest periods Allow time for workers to become conditioned to heat

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 Administrative Controls (cont.) Reduce physical demand on workers Use relief workers Limit hours on hot work environments Pace the work

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 PPE Shade-providing hats Portable water products Reflective clothing Systems that circulate air around the body

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 Medical Surveillance Periodic medical evaluation Determining risk of heat-related illness Removing high-risk employees from hot working environments

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 Work Monitoring Programs Check heart rate at the beginning of a rest period Check pulse 2.5 minutes after break starts

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 Work Monitoring Programs (cont.) Take oral temperature at end of workday Check for body water loss

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 Investigating Heat-Related Illness Events leading up to the incident Work being done at time of incident Length of time employee working Engineering and administrative controls PPE Medical surveillance and worker monitoring

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 Preventing Heat- Related Illness Do you understand the information presented in the previous slides?

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 Water, Water, Water Drink plenty of water all day Drink electrolyte- balanced fluids if you sweat a lot Drink at least one cup of fluid every minutes when working in hot conditions Avoid caffeine and alcohol

© BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1408 Key Points to Remember Working in hot conditions can affect your health and safety Understand the risks and the precautions Know symptoms of heat-related illness and first-aid response Use all available measures to reduce heat stress and keep safe and healthy when working in hot conditions