As the summer is quickly approaching, We here at Nesco want to ensure that everyone is aware of the signs of heat related illness (Heat Stress, Heat Stroke) and know what to look out for.

Workers who work in hot environments or are exposed to extreme heat may be at risk for heat stress. Heat stress includes a series of conditions where a person’s body is under stress from overheating.

Heat stress causes thousands of worker illnesses and some worker deaths each year from working in extreme heat or humid conditions.

Work that has a high potential for causing heat stress usually involves hot and humid conditions outdoors or hot indoor environments.

The potential for heat stress increases if the job involves performing heavy work tasks or using bulky or nonbreathable protective clothing and equipment.
Jobs that have a high risk of heat stress include:

• Farm work
• Construction
• Oil and gas well operations
• Asbestos removal
• Landscaping
• Emergency response operations
• Hazardous waste site activities

Heat stress can result in heat-related illnesses that can affect anyone, regardless of age or physical condition.

Some workers may be at higher risk than others if they have not built up a tolerance to hot conditions, or if they have certain health conditions.

There are two major heat-related illnesses that you need to know:

• Heat stroke
• Heat exhaustion

Preventable

Heat stress is preventable. With the use of engineering controls and safe work practices to protect workers who are at risk for heat stress, including:

• Training workers about the hazards that lead to heat stress and how to prevent them
• Ensuring that the topic of working safely is discussed during a Tailgate meeting and documented on your paperwork

Engineering controls include air conditioning and ventilation for hot work environments. Moving air can help prevent workers from overheating.

Some safe work practices include:

• Modifying work schedules so jobs take place during the cooler parts of the day
• Arranging frequent rest periods with water breaks in shaded or air-conditioned areas
• Providing plenty of cool water to workers close to the work area
• Routinely checking on workers who are at risk for heat stress

Acclimatization, or adaption, allows workers to gradually adapt to the heat by slowly increasing workloads and allowing more frequent breaks for workers new to the heat and those that have been away from work. Ensure that we allow times for workers to acclimate themselves, especially after days off.

Another way to prevent heat stress is using personal protective equipment (PPE) that helps cool workers down, such as reflective clothing, body cooling ice vests, water-cooled garments, and personal cooling systems and sitting in cool places such as the monitoring office or truck.

You can protect yourself and your coworkers by knowing the signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses, monitoring yourself, and using the buddy system.

Other measures you can take to protect yourself from heat stress include:

• Blocking out direct sun and other heat sources
• Drinking plenty of fluids. Drinking often and before you are thirsty. Drinking water every 15 minutes.
• Avoiding beverages that contain alcohol or caffeine
• Wearing lightweight, light-colored, and loose fitting clothes

As always we like to ensure that you have all resources available to you.

One extra tool for your tool box is the OSHA Heat Tool. This app is free and available for both iPhone and Androids. It will give you the associated risk and instructions on how to handle heat related illness.

If you suspect a coworker is experiencing heat stress, call a supervisor for help. If a supervisor is not available, call 911. Have someone stay with the worker until help arrives and move the worker to a cooler or shaded area. If the worker is not alert or seems confused, call 911 immediately and apply ice as soon as possible.

At Nesco we care for each and everyone’s safety. Our commitment is to ensure that we provide you with all the tools necessary to complete your job in a safe and professional manner. With your commitment we can ensure that everyone goes home the way they came to work. Your feedback is necessary so that we can provide you best training possible