Each season of the year brings with it varying hazards and situations workers should be aware of. Especially Right of Way clearing teams and other workers that have complex, physical jobs, outside in the elements. The summer is no exception, if anything, it’s probably one of the most dangerous seasons for workers that exert themselves outside. This situation is also known as occupational heat exposure. Here are 5 tips to minimize hazards and reduce the chance for heat-related illnesses like stress, or worse, heatstroke or death that can happen from excessive occupational heat exposure.
Top 5 Hazards Employees May Face in Summer Months
Warmer weather may help deter outdoor workers from dealing with ice, cold, snowstorms, and excessive rain, but occupational heat exposure during the summer months brings its own hazards and risks.
Fatigue
This is so much more than just feeling ‘tired’. While fatigue’s base symptom is feeling weak or tired, it’s actually dangerous and can impair workers. Feeling fatigued causes people to think and react slower. Understanding and memory of processes are also less clear, and motivation will plummet. Fatigue is a huge hazard during the summer because the body is pushing overtime in order to keep the body cool while it’s working, a function that by nature, re-heats the body constantly. An important tip to avoid this is to take a lot of breaks and drink enough water. This leads to the next hazard:
Dehydration
Humans need water, largely, to survive. When it’s excessively hot outside, this raises the body’s core temperature, causing it to start internal processes for cooling down. One major process is the body’s internal evaporative cooling system we all know as sweating. When it’s hot, the body sweats, and it loses water, this helps it cool down. When the body is performing physical labor, core temperature rises, the body sweats, and it loses water. Adding to that, the actual physical activity for basic human function also requires hydration to maintain, meaning that a busy worker who’s outside in the heat needs way more water than average to maintain their health in these extreme conditions.
Dehydration can cause a person to feel fatigued, cramp up, and also impairs their mental ability and reaction speed. The best way for workers to avoid dehydration is to do the obvious: drink a lot of water. Many wouldn’t believe how often employees neglect this or think they don’t need it because they don’t “feel thirsty”. False. Drink water anyway. Make sure to bring A LOT of water to the job site and try to keep it out of the sun. If there comes a time when employees run out of water, stop, leave, and get more. It’s not worth it to keep pushing if someone passes out and gets sick from dehydration. Some recommendations suggest approximately 1 cup of water or a similar liquid every 20 minutes.
Excess Sun Exposure
This hazard specifically implies the sun, not just excess heat. Too much sun exposure can cause burns, blisters, peeling, and even sun poisoning. Which can encompass the person feeling nauseous, experiencing fatigue, passing out, or throwing up. The long-term effects of prolonged sun exposure can be skin cancer. Watch out for new moles or growths on your skin that get bigger.
Wear proper personal protective equipment (PPE) when outside in direct sunlight. This includes head, eyes, and face protectors, neck coverings, gloves, boots, and long pants. Essentially, all of the body must be covered, but in the right type of breathable cloth, so as to avoid overheating. Try to take routine breaks in shaded areas as much as possible. If the project allows, try to work during non-peak hours to avoid the hottest sun.
Heat-Related Illness
Like sun poisoning, heat-related illness is when the body feels sick from excess heat. This causes heat stress, stroke, or even mortality. Heat illness occurs when the body’s regulating processes lose efficacy. Age, prescriptions, and specific illnesses can exacerbate someone’s chance of heat illness. Symptoms can include high core temperature, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, hyperventilating or rapid breathing. This condition is also referred to as hyperthermia. When an employee starts exhibiting heat illness symptoms, they should stop working, drink a lot of water, and go to a shaded, cooler area immediately. It’s probably best if they don’t work anymore that day and are sent home.
Hot Machinery, Equipment, and Outdoor Surfaces
Not only are people at risk for dangerous levels of sun exposure, but so are the tools, machinery, equipment, and all outdoor surfaces workers use and encounter. Metal tools and machines left in the sun can rise to extremely hot temperatures, giving unaware or unprotected employees severe burns who come in contact. Not to mention some equipment can get damaged with excess heat or light.
Safeguards are necessary to protect workers from severe injury from hot surfaces. Some tips for project managers can include ensuring as many tools and equipment as possible remain hidden from direct sunlight. Avoiding work between hours of 10 am and 3 pm is also recommended, although not always possible. It can also help to turn equipment not in use to “off” or “sleep” mode so it can have time to cool down between use. Managers can bring tarps, tents, or other portable shelters that can at least block the sun’s rays from equipment and tools. Wearing PPE is also imperative when workers are on asphalt, cement, or other surfaces that can absorb heat and burn the skin.
Employers and managers are the first steps to ensuring workplace safety by developing a process for themselves and their employees to stay safe during hotter months and minimize hazards. At Lanracorp, we’ve implemented our Innovate 4 Safety program to not ensure our team is safe in all instances. Learn more on our website.
