Preventing
Heat Illnesses
As summer begins, it’s important to protect workers in recycling facilities—indoors and outdoors—from heat-related illnesses.
Occupational factors that can contribute to heat illness include:
■ High temperature and humidity
■ Low fluid consumption
■ Direct sun exposure (with no shade) or extreme heat
■ Limited air movement (no breeze or wind)
■ Physical exertion
■ Use of bulky protective clothing and equipment
One key step toward protecting workers is having a heat-illness prevention program in your company. Key elements of such a program include
■ designating a staff person to oversee the heat-illness prevention program;
■ identifying hazardous heat-related work conditions in your facility;
■ communicating to workers the “Water. Rest. Shade” safety message;
■ helping workers gradually acclimate to hotter working conditions;
■ modifying work schedules to reduce workers’ exposure to heat;
■ training workers on the health effects of heat, symptoms of heat illness, how and when to respond to such symptoms, and how to prevent heat illness;
■ establishing a system to monitor and report the signs and symptoms of heat illness to improve early detection and action; and
■ creating and implementing an emergency plan to address heat-related illnesses in the workplace.
For more details, click HERE for OSHA’s Fact Sheet on “Protecting Workers From the Effects of Heat” or follow this link to watch a Mayo Clinic video on the dangers of heat-related illnesses.
Sun graphic by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay.
