The Need for a Safety Consultant is Heating Up

Safety Consultants are trained to identify hazards in different work environments.  One working environment that is increasing in overall danger as the year progresses is heat illness.  Heat Illness is deadly and can affect thousands of employees each year from exposure to heat. 

OSHA has been issuing weather service alerts to areas of high risk for employees in hot and humid climates.  Often times, employees will be utilizing heavy or bulky clothing, or are performing heavy work tasks. A Safety Consultant can help implement the right tools for working outdoors in extreme temperatures and provide the necessary safety precautions for the workers.  Employees should be given adequate breaks from the sun in a shaded area with water.  These three items greatly reduce the risk of heat illness from working outside.

There are two primary sources of heat for an employee.  Heat comes from external conditions and working outside.  Another source of is internal and heat generated from the body’s ability to not loose heat fast enough while performing physical labor.  The severity exponentially increases risk of heat illness when physical labor is being conducted outside in high temperature conditions. 

A Safety Consultant will be able to help identify safety hazards such as heat illness by observing each phase of production for your company.  It is especially important for new employees to be integrated into the rigors of the job with frequent breaks in the shade with water.  In 2005, 80% of the cases of heat illness resulted from employees with less than four days on the job and over half of all cases had employees working on their first day.  These workers had not been acclimated to the working conditions and should be gradually exposed the working conditions until a tolerance can be built. 

A well versed Safety Consultant will point out that OSHA does not have specific standards that cover working in hot environments, but the area is covered by an employer’s duty to protect workers.  Heat related illness a serious hazard that affects thousands each hear.  Heat index should be closely monitored, as it takes into account temperature and humidity.  Additional precautions should be taken for employees that are performing heavy manual labor, employees in heavy protective clothing, and workers new to the outside working environment.  Click hereto contact a Safety Professional in your area to help your company identify potential hazards in the working environments of your employees.