It’s easy to underestimate the effects of working in the heat. But even moderately high temperatures can have a severe impact on the human mind and body. If you’re not working proactively to combat the effects of heatstroke and heat stress, there could be a devastating incident on your job-site.
How do you make sure your workers stay cool and healthy in the heat?
The Risks of Working in the Heat
Excessive heat carries a number of risks for anyone exposed to it, and those risks increase for any person doing intense work in the heat. If your body is too hot and unable to efficiently cool itself, it begins accumulating stress and eventually damage.
Early signs of heat stress include things like:
- Thirst
- Nausea
- Clammy skin
- Dark urine
- Headaches
- Irritability and confusion
If left unchecked, heat exhaustion can quickly accelerate to heatstroke, which includes symptoms like the following:
- Lack of sweat
- Muscular cramps
- Irrationality and bewilderment
- Loss of consciousness
- Seizures
Ways to Prevent Heatstroke on the Job-Site
Fortunately, there are several strategies that can help you prevent heatstroke on the job site:
Educate your employees.
One of the first things you should do is take the time to educate your employees about the dangers of working in the heat. Even if you employ countermeasures for the heat, your employees can still suffer greatly if they aren’t aware of how devastating heat stress and heat stroke can be. Teach them about the consequences of neglecting the heat, describe the following strategies to them, and make sure they understand the situation fully.
Stay aware of both the temperature and the humidity.
As a supervisor, team leader, or other authority figure, one of your primary responsibilities is to remain aware of both the temperature and the humidity. Obviously, the temperature is the best indicator of heat that we have, but we also need to factor in humidity because high humidity levels mitigate the efficient evaporation of sweat, thereby complicating the human body’s ability to cool itself. On days with high temperatures and high humidity, you’ll need to take extra precautions.
Monitor your employees closely.
Keep a close eye on all your employees while they work. Ensure that they’re following your guidelines appropriately and be on the lookout for any signs of heat stress. Remember, the earlier you intervene, the better. If you wait until the employee is experiencing signs of advanced heatstroke, it may be too late to prevent significant damage.
Avoid peak times (especially at first).
Consider shifting your work schedule to avoid peak heat. For example, you can work earlier in the morning or later in the evening, when the sun isn’t as intense. Over time, human bodies can acclimatize to intense heat; if you spend ample time working in the heat, eventually you’ll be able to tolerate it much better. Because of this, it’s important to spend only a minimal amount of time working in the heat at the start of the season. You can ramp up gradually from there.
Provide plenty of shade and fans.
On the job site, be sure to provide plenty of shaded areas and fans. Fans produce movement of air, which can accelerate the evaporation of heat and allow our bodies to cool themselves faster and more efficiently. Consider providing multiple cooling stations, especially if there are no natural sources of shade in the area.
Allow ample breaks.
Your employees need time to take advantage of these cooling stations and remove themselves from the hot environment. Accordingly, you should allow frequent breaks, even if those breaks are only a few minutes at a time.
Hydrate.
Drinking cold water is one of the best ways to relieve the impact of heat on the body. It’s also essential for replenishing the water you lose through sweat. Make sure cold water is available to all your employees at all times, and encourage them to drink as much as possible.
Encourage light, loose clothing.
Be sure your employees are prepared for the heat by encouraging them to wear light-colored, lightweight, loose-fitting clothes. Light coloration reflects more light, allowing employees to stay cooler. Lightweight materials have less insulative capacity, allowing the body to cool itself more efficiently. Similarly, loose clothes allow for more air circulation, accelerating the evaporation of sweat.
Encourage light meals and snacks.
Your employees will need to eat throughout the day to stay energized, but encourage only light meals and snacks. If your employees eat meals that are too heavy, it can weigh them down, make them feel hotter, and reduce their body’s ability to dissipate heat efficiently.
Be ready to act.
If someone on your team is experiencing heat illness, call 911 immediately and attempt to cool the worker however you can. Some of the best strategies here include drinking lots of cold water, cooling off with direct water application, removing any unnecessary clothing, and moving the person to a cooler area, such as an area with shade and air circulation. Additionally, you should stay with the person until help arrives.
Nobody wants to experience heatstroke, and nobody wants anyone else to experience it either. If you remain cognizant of the risks associated with the heat, and you employ these strategies wisely, you can keep your risk profile close to zero.
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