Tag Archives: heat illness

Illnesses related to extreme/dangerous heat. The illness itself could be directly related to the heat such as heat stroke. It can also be an injury due to a side effect of the heat, such as an injury or illness due to dehydration of dizziness.

Claims Management, Employers Practice Liability Insurance, HR Challenges, Risk Management, Workers Compensation Insurance

Heat Injury and Illness in the Workplace

An Under looked problem

Heat injury and illness is a serious work-related danger that affects millions of American workers each year. Not only do heat injuries directly cause injuries/illness, but at times they are the underlying reason for mishandling of equipment, and lack of focus that leads to other work-related injuries. While federal agencies such as OSHA publish articles on measures to prevent heat-related injuries/illness, at times these cautions do little. It is on the management to provide resources, knowledge, and safety measures for workers in constant risk of heat injuries and illness. Here are some ways to prevent heat injuries and illness.

How to Avoid Heat Injury and Illness

Provide Rest Breaks:

Management should provide several work breaks other than lunch every day. These breaks should include free water and a shaded location. This well help workers stay out of the heat, cool down body temperature, and replenish fluids.

Provide Information:

Your workers need to understand the dangers of working in constant heat. Manual labor in heat will cause a slower release of body heat and less sweat. This traps more heat in the body, raising the body temperature. This is a dangerous result, as 2 degrees fahrenheit higher than normal body temperature can cause dizziness, lack of focus, and dehydration. Once you hit 5 degrees past normal body temperature you are flirting with possible fatal illnesses. The more your workers know, the safer your workers will work under intense heat.

Training:

Training workers on how to avoid what prevention is nearly impossibly. However, training project supervisors on proper safety plans and measures is beneficial to all. Having set heat prevention measures in place for your supervisors to execute can save you money in claims and injuries.

Sometimes, these precautions still are not enough. Workers may still suffer from the effects of high heat and humidity. Here are a few steps to deal with a worker with a heat injury or illness.

How to Treat Heat Injury and Illness

Immediately Bring the Worker to Shade:

Give the worker tons of water to hydrate them. Ice packs to cool down their body temperature is also recommended. The best spot to cool down a worker is the back of the neck, as it helps control your entire body’s temperature.

Bring the Worker Medical Assistance:

If their symptoms continue to worsen or remain stagnant, calling an ambulance is the best option. Make sure to call the ambulance within the hour the worker first felt symptoms.

Loosen Clothing:

Loosening the worker’s clothing can help free entrapped heat between the skin and clothing. This will help cool the workers’ internal body temperature. It will also help with quicker blood flow, which will help the worker recover quicker.

Heat injuries and illnesses are not small cast-offs when talking about workers’ injuries and workers comp. These are critical parts of worker safety and health, especially in construction and work done primarily outside. Hopefully, this article will help bring important information to project supervisors and management about proper steps and safety precautions regarding heat injuries and illnesses.

Still confused and want advice? Call a risk advisor today at 914-357-8444 or visit our website here for more information.

Claims Management, Workers Compensation Insurance

Requiring Sunscreen as PPE

The dog days of July and August have come. And with those months come extreme heat, humidity, and higher risks of staying in the sun. Injuries and illnesses related to heat are real and affected millions of workers a year. Sunstroke, severe dehydration, and fainting due to dizziness are common. However, one of the overlooked effects of the sun is the damage of UV rays on the skin. Requiring sunscreen as PPE can help minimize that risk.

Without skin protection, extreme heat in the summer may cause permanent sun damage and illnesses in the future. These may form skin cancers that appear decades afterward. Making sure workers are protected can save costs and claims. The solution happens to remain very simple.

Make all workers wear high-SPF sunscreen as PPE. If gloves protect the hands and goggles protect the eyes, sunscreen should protect the skiing. Even a subtle injury such as sunburn can affect a workers productivity for the next few days. We also recommend workers wear more clothing to hide their skin as well as using sunscreen. UV rays are more extreme and direct in the summer and workers protection is imperative.

This article is a great guide to PPE protection and goes over sunscreen use in the summer. If you still have questions, contact a risk advisor today at 914-357-8444.