Summer is just around the corner and, along with it, the health effects and illnesses the hot season brings. Heat illness is no joke, and OSHA will be on every company and workplace to see that appropriate measures are taken to ensure that employers and workers are protected from it on the job. To illustrate how serious OSHA is in their endeavor against heat illness, three farm labor contractors in California have already been issued citations and ordered to shut down due to their lack of compliance in heat illness prevention measures.

OSHA conducts heat illness enforcement inspections to ensure that hot working environments are always regulated and monitored. The standards require that workplace temperatures and atmospheres be closely checked, and that worker hours of exposure to heat are controlled. This will ensure that everyone stays safe while working in the heat.

Heat Illnesses: Things You Should Know

Too much heat can hinder the body from cooling itself naturally, thus, resulting in heat-induced illnesses such as heat stress or heat exhaustion and heat stroke (which is more severe and can lead to death). The factors leading to heat stress are the following: high temperature, humidity, direct sun or heat, limited air movement, physical exertion, poor physical condition, some triggering medicines, and inadequate tolerance for hot work places.

You know that the heat has gotten to you when you experience the following: a rise in body temperature, excessive sweating/perspiration, headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness, faintness, weakness, nausea, and vomiting. An upset stomach, increased heart rate, muscle cramps, and changes in your mood (e.g., irritability or confusion) can also take place. Once the following has occurred, however, you know that you are already in for a hard case of heat illness: dry, hot skin with no sweating, mental confusion or loss of consciousness, and seizures or convulsions. Always be on the look out for these symptoms.

Safety Tips for Preventing Heat Stress

• Avoid dehydration by regularly drinking water or other liquids that will replenish the lost liquids in your body. Drinking stations must be provided for and made accessible in the work area.
• Move to a cooler place (indoors, out of the sun, or under the shade) at regular intervals if you work outdoors or where you are under the direct heat of the sun or any other source of heat. Nearby shaded areas must be provided for.
• Your workplace should have proper ventilation and sufficient air conditioning. These should be in good working condition so as to alleviate the heat in your work area as you go about your job (especially if heat exposure levels are high in your tasks—e.g. steaming, ironing, etc).
• Lessen workload and adjust work hours. Take quick and regular breaks by leaving the hot environment you are in so that your body can cool down.
• Wear lightweight, light-colored, and loose-fitting or breathable clothes. Cool and airy clothing should be worn while on the job as much as is possible and safe.
• Wear the right PPE that is suitable for hot working conditions (i.e., breathable fabrics, non-restrictive clothing, specially-designed clothes that can easily be cooled, etc).
• Avoid drinking alcohol or caffeinated drinks, as well as taking heavy meals—these can increase the body’s temperature.
• Get training on how to prevent heat illness as well as how to respond to such emergencies.

What You Can Do When Emergencies Arise

• Call 911 (or your local emergency number) immediately.
• Attend to the victim while waiting for help to arrive. Though you shouldn’t crowd over the victim, you are not to leave the victim alone as well.
• Move the victim to a cooler or shaded area. Take the person away from the source of the heat.
• Loosen or remove the victim’s heavy clothing, as well as other constricting accessories on his/her body.
• Let the victim drink water. You can also fan and mist the victim with water.

Be ready to face the heat when it comes on. Stay safe—and cool.