With the summer construction season in full swing, it can be easy to overlook the dangers workers face while working out in the heat. Don’t be caught off guard by a heat-related incident and visit from OSHA.  If you haven’t established a heat stress program for your company you need to be working on this today. OSHA expects employers to do more than simply informing workers that the weather is hot and that they should take breaks and drink as much water as necessary. If these are the only things you are doing it may result in citations and worker illnesses.  Every year, thousands of workers become ill from working in the heat, and some cases even result in death.  Did you know, construction workers make up about one-third of all heat-related deaths in the workplace?

One of the most difficult challenges preventing heat stress incidents is that there are many different factors related to each individual employee that can expose them to different risk levels.  Some of these risk factors may include the worker’s physical condition, clothing requirements, PPE, temperature and humidity, pace, demands of the activity, medication, etc. Imagine this, if you have a crew of 10 workers all completing various tasks involving decking a bridge, each of them will be affected by heat stress differently.  That is where the challenge for employers begins.

Let’s take a look at what OSHA expects and what employers can do to prevent heat-related incidents.

1. OSHA expects employers to implement a heat acclimatization plan and medical monitoring program.  New workers should be closely supervised for the first 14 days of employment or until they are fully acclimatized. This also includes workers returning from extended time away, such as vacations or leaves of absence. According to OSHA, most heat-related workers deaths occur in the first 3 days on the job and more than a third occur on the very first day.  Make sure new and returning workers have time to adjust.
2. Implement a work/rest schedule in which workers have a chance to cool down.  This can be done via shade or air-conditioned rest areas. Additionally, employers can schedule hot jobs for cooler parts of the day or reduce physical demands of an activity through administrative/engineering controls.
3. Employers should encourage workers to drink about 1 cup of water every 15-20 minutes. Workers should avoid drinking sugary or caffeinated drinks.
4. Provide workers with protective equipment and clothing that can help reduce heat stress.  According to OSHA, some of these items may include; water-cooled garments, air-cooled garments, hats, ice-packet vests, wetted over-garments, heat reflective clothing, cooling towels, etc.
5. Employers and employees should be familiar with heat illness signs and symptoms.  It is especially important that your on-site foreman and employees understand the symptoms as they are the frontline of defense on a project. They will be the first ones to notice when themselves or a fellow worker may be in danger.
6. Encourage workers to speak up if they notice symptoms or signs.  No person should ever be discouraged or punished for speaking up regarding safety.
7. Communicate what to do in an emergency.  This should be a part of your emergency action plan (EAP) specific to every project.

These are just a few of the things OSHA expects and what employers themselves can do to protect workers.  Get your heat stress program up and running today.