Summer is upon us, and with the summer heat comes heat stress, which can lead to a number of ailments, including (from mildest to most severe) heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Working through hot conditions stresses the body’s cooling system. When the hot summer temperatures combine with such factors as hard physical work, dehydration, fatigue, or other medical conditions, the result can be illness, disability and even death.

While younger and more physically fit workers tend to be less likely to have problems, the fact is, heat stress can lead to problems for anyone of any age, including the physically fittest. Workers with heart, lung or kidney disease, diabetes and those taking medications are more likely to experience heat stress problems. In addition, workers who use diet pills, sedatives, tranquilizers can be at higher risk for heat stress. Drinks containing caffeine or alcohol can exacerbate the effects of heat stress, as well.

If you are a supervisor, keep an eye out for symptoms of heat stress among your workers, because the victims of these afflictions are often unaware of the symptoms, and their survival may depend on your ability to identify symptoms and seek immediate medical assistance. The symptoms of every stage of heat stress are as follows:

Condition Symptoms Proper Response:
Heat Cramps Painful muscle spasms and heavier than usual sweating Drink lots of water and rest in the shade or a cooler environment.
Dehydration Marked by a high level of fatigue, and difficulty moving. Drink lots of water (try to stay away from drinks with caffeine and/or sugar) and rest in the shade or a cooler environment.
Heat Exhaustion Marked by pale, clammy skin, heavy sweating, weakness and fatigue, nausea or dizziness. Can also cause blurred vision and/or fainting. The body temperature may also be slightly above normal. Lie down immediately in cool environment, remove any personal protective equipment and loosen clothing. If the symptoms continue, call an ambulance.
Heat Stroke Marked by hot, dry skin because the body stops sweating, red face, and high body temperature. It can also lead to collapse, lack of consciousness, convulsions, confusion or erratic behavior. Immerse worker in water, in the shade, and call for an ambulance immediately, because this is a life threatening condition.
Workers and supervisors have a responsibility to limit the effects of heat stress on the job.

Supervisors should:

• Prepare to allow 2-3 weeks for employees to get used to the summer heat. It often takes that long for a worker to become acclimated to a hot environment.
• If possible, move work around, so that heavier work can be done in the coolest part of the day. If a heat wave is only supposed to last for a couple of days, schedule lighter work for the hottest days.
• Try to reduce the workload by increasing the use of equipment on hot days, in order to reduce physical labor.
• Establish a schedule that allows for work and rest periods during hot days.
• Review with workers how to recognize signs and symptoms of heat stress disorders.
• Make sure you or someone else in the workplace is prepared to administer first aid if necessary.
• Know ahead of time who among your workers are “high risk” employees for hot work environments for extended time periods, and divvy up the work accordingly. Understand that individual workers vary in their tolerance to heat stress conditions.
• If possible, provide cooled rest areas, increase the number and length of rest breaks and provide plenty of cool drinking water near workers.

Workers should:

• Learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of heat stress.
• Be sure to pace your work and take regular rest periods in shade or cooler environment.
• Use fans for ventilation and cooling, especially when wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) or working around equipment that is hot.
• Be sure to wear lightly colored and loose clothing, unless you’re working close to equipment with moving parts.
• Reduce the physical demands of your work by using aides, such as hoists. The less you exert yourself, the better.
• Whenever possible stay shaded from direct heat by wearing a hat, and applying sunscreen.
• Above all, drink plenty of water. Do not wait until you’re thirsty. Drink before you’re thirsty. And be aware that sports drinks are not necessary, plain water works well.

With hot weather now upon us, workplaces have to protect their workers from the effects of heat stress. By doing so, everyone can prevent workplace injury, illness and even death.

It’s been a pretty hot summer so far, and we’re not even halfway through, so perhaps this is would be a good time to remind you to take special precautions on scorching hot summer days, in order to keep your workers safe and productive.  The higher the temperature goes, the less comfortable workers feel, which makes them more prone to accidents and also causes them to slow down a bit. But just as importantly, excessive heat can be extremely dangerous, and building a culture of safety requires that you keep your workers as safe as possible.

If possible, try to reduce the demand on each worker by reducing  the level of physical exertion such as excessive lifting, climbing, or digging. If possible, try to use relief workers or assign extra workers.  Try to reschedule the most strenuous activities jobs for the cooler part of the day and reserve the hottest part of the day for routine maintenance and repair work.

For those workers who must work outside during the hot part of the day, they should wear light, very loose-fitting clothing, with long sleeves and long pants, in order to avoid serious UV damage from the sun.  For areas of the body that are still exposed, such as faces, hands and necks, be sure to have adequate supplies of good quality sunscreen on hand as well.

Make sure all outside workers are provided with plenty of water. And that should be water, as sugary drinks and drinks with caffeine actually cause faster dehydration. They should also be given plenty of breaks during which they can drink the water. It is far more beneficial to drink small amounts of water at frequent intervals than to drink a lot of water all at once. If the work is particularly strenuous and is performed in direct sunlight, try to provide a shady area or tent, where workers can sit down, drink some water and recharge.

If your workers are toiling away in an area with a combination of high temperature and high humidity,  be aware of the increased risk to such workers of heat stroke or heat exhaustion. In addition to workers who don’t take adequate breaks or drink enough water, pay close attention to workers who take certain medications, older workers or workers who are not in peak physical condition, as they are especially susceptible to complications from heat-related stress.

Some of the warning signs for heat-related illness include headaches, lightheadedness, confusion, irrational behavior, loss of consciousness, abnormally high body temperature and hot, dry skin.  When a worker starts to complain that he or she isn’t feeling well, you would do well to take the complain seriously and sit that worker down in the shade with a cup of water and let them recover.

Other potential risks to the health of workers toiling outdoors in summer aren’t necessarily heat-related. It might be a good idea to have workers regularly check for ticks, which sometimes carry Lyme Disease. Be sure to watch out for mosquitoes, which can carry West Nile Virus, and plants, such as poison oak and poison ivy, that can cause skin rashes and make it difficult to work.

It’s summer, so guess what; the weather can be hot.

Because of this, workers are exposed to extreme heat more often, and those who already work in hot environments, such as firefighters, bakers, farmers, construction workers, miners, boiler room workers and factory workers, could see more intense heat in their job. Exposure to extreme heat can result in all sorts of occupational illnesses and injuries, and cause workers to feel heat stress, which can in turn lead to something more severe, such as heat stroke, exhaustion, cramps or rashes. The sweaty palms, fogged-up safety glasses, and dizziness that heat can cause may also increase the risk of injuries in workers, as well.

Preventing heat stress in workers should be a priority for every company, especially in the summer. Employers should aggressively train workers to understand heat stress, including how it affects their health and safety, and of course, how they can prevent it.

Heat stroke is the most serious heat-related disorder, because it occurs when the body becomes unable to control its temperature. Heat stroke causes body temperature to increase rapidly, and the sweating mechanism fails, meaning the body is unable to cool down. When heat stroke occurs, the body temperature can rise to 41 degrees Celsius or higher in as little as 10 to 15 minutes. If emergency treatment is not given right away, a heat stroke victim can become permanently disabled, or even die.

Besides the high temperature, symptoms of heat stroke include; hot, dry skin (meaning hot, but no sweat); pounding headache; hallucinations; chills; confusion and dizziness or slurred speech.

To treat a worker suffering from heat stroke, call 911, notify a supervisor and move the sick worker to a cool, shaded area, where you should try cooling them down, by soaking their clothes with water and/or fanning them.

Heat exhaustion is what happens when the body reacts to an excessive loss of water and salt, through excessive sweating. Workers most prone to heat exhaustion are elderly workers, or those with high blood pressure.

Some symptoms of heat exhaustion include; pale or flushed complexion; heavy sweating; dizziness or confusion; nausea, extreme weakness or fatigue; fast, shallow breathing and slightly higher body temperature.

The best treatment for a worker suffering from heat exhaustion is rest. Take them to a cool, shaded area or to an air conditioned room, make sure they drink plenty of fluids, and if possible, have them take a cool shower.

Heat syncope is a fainting episode or dizziness that usually hits workers who have been standing for a long time, although it can also occasionally strike a worker who rises suddenly from a sitting or lying position. This usually happens when a worker is dehydrated. Factors that may contribute to heat syncope include dehydration and lack of acclimatization.

Workers with heat syncope should lie down in a cool place and slowly drink water, juice or a sports drink.

Workers who sweat a lot as they work may also occasionally suffer from heat cramps. Sweating depletes the body’s salt and moisture levels, and the low salt levels in muscles can cause painful cramps. Heat cramps are also sometimes symptom of heat exhaustion.

Workers who suffer heat cramps should immediately stop all activity, go to a cool place, sit down and drink water, juice or a sports drink. Workers who suffer from heat cramps should not return to strenuous work for at least a few hours after the cramps subside, in order to prevent heat exhaustion or heat stroke. If the cramps don’t subside within an hour, seek medical help for the worker. Seek medical help immediately if the worker has heart problems or is on a low-sodium diet.

If you notice something that resembles a red cluster of pimples or small blisters on your skin, you may have a heat rash, a skin irritation caused by excessive sweating. The heat rash is most likely to occur on the neck and upper chest, in the groin, under the breasts, and in elbow creases.

Workers who discover a heat rash should try to move their work to a cooler, less humid environment if at all possible. Keep the affected area dry. If possible, use talcum powder on the affected area to increase comfort.

There are ways to prevent all of the above, of course. Companies and supervisors can take many steps to minimize the effects of heat stress on the job. For example, if at all possible, schedule high physical activity jobs in hot areas for cooler months, or at least schedule the hot jobs during the cooler parts of the day. Instead of throwing workers into the hot job, acclimate them to the heat by exposing them to the hot work environment for short periods of time at first, and gradually increase the exposure later. Use relief workers or assign extra workers for physically demanding jobs. By all means, provide workers with plenty of cool water, frequent rest periods, and cool areas for workers to use for rest breaks. Be sure to monitor workers for heat stress, and of course, you should provide plenty of heat stress training, so that workers know what to look out for.

Workers themselves should also do what they can to prevent the effects of heat stress. Whenever possible, avoid exposure to extreme heat, sun exposure, and high humidity. When they can’t be avoided, workers should take other steps to prevent heat stress. Wear light-colored, loose-fitting, breathable clothing such as cotton, and avoid synthetic clothing, which doesn’t breathe. Also, be aware that some protective clothing or personal protective equipment may increase your risk of heat stress. Gradually build up to heavy work, and try to do as much of it as possible during the coolest parts of the day. Take frequent breaks in shaded or cool areas, and drink plenty of water. But most of all, be aware of your physical condition, and keep an eye on those working with you.

Summers are to enjoy. Keep yourself safe from the heat, and they’ll be more enjoyable for everyone.