How to: Prevent heat stress

As the mercury rises and we flip the calendar to the summer months, it becomes vital to watch out for heat stress in your crews.

Exposure to extreme heat can result in occupational illnesses like heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps or heat rashes. It can also increase the risk of on-the-job injuries. When workers get too hot or too thirsty, they become irritable, impatient and careless — three traits that render them accident-prone.

The major cause of heat stress is dehydration. Energetic activity on hot days can cause the body to lose 1-1½ quarts of fluid per hour, according to The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. If this continues for a few hours, it’s possible to lose as much as six percent of your body weight.

A loss of two to three percent of your body weight decreases blood circulation, which leads to extreme discomfort and thirst, along with an increase in body temperature and a rapid pulse. At this point, symptoms of heat exhaustion begin to appear: dizziness, headaches, excessive sweating and a feeling of weakness.

If you lose three to six percent of your weight, you are, or are near, suffering a heat stroke. This is when the body stops perspiring, the body temperature increases rapidly, and convulsions, unconsciousness and death become very real possibilities.

To protect workers from heat stress:

• Build workers’ acclimation to strenuous activity in hot, humid weather by exposing them for progressively longer periods.
• Provide cool water or liquids to workers.
• Avoid alcohol, and drinks with large amounts of caffeine or sugar.
• Provide rest periods with water breaks.
• Provide cool areas for use during break periods.
• Monitor workers who are at risk of heat stress.
• Schedule the most strenuous work for the coolest part of the day.
• Encourage workers to wear light-colored, loose- fitting, breathable clothing.

For more: The Center for Disease Control, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ topics/heatstress/