Health and Wellness

What to Do When the Heat Is On

The prevention of heat-related disorders, including heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, is a year-round priority for some hot-work companies. For other organizations, the dangers of extreme heat are only around for a few weeks during July and August.

Among the recommended prevention strategies are:

• Use engineering controls, such as general ventilation or spot cooling.
• Give workers time to become acclimated to suddenly hot temperatures.
• Monitor individual employees to make sure they are not at excessive risk. This could be as simple as checking with them throughout the day or a more formal approach such as heat index alarms.
• Consider the impact of personal protective equipment as a potential risk factor for heat stress.
• Provide training to help employees recognize the signs and symptoms of heat stress.
• Incorporate work-rest cycles into the work day.
• Postpone nonessential or labor-intensive tasks.
• Rotate workers in strenuous jobs but permit only acclimatized workers to perform those jobs.