Safety Services Company
In the U.S., heat exposure caused 43 work-related deaths in 2019, a 2021 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report said. That’s bad. As with so many workplace deaths, employers can prevent these.
OSHA took notice of these figures in 2021. Unlike its California equal, OSHA has not yet written specific rules for heat-related illness (HRI). A September 2021 press release from the labor department names efforts to fix this.
Still companies need not wait for these laws. In fact, companies in 3 states cannot. California, Washington, and Minnesota have already issued laws to guard workers from heat stroke and the like.
Heat illness (or heat-related illness) happens when a person’s body cannot cope with excess heat. The human body works within a few degrees of 98.6 F. The body controls this heat itself. Still, excess heat can stress the body. When it can’t cool down fast enough, or keep its “heat balance”, it causes mild to severe symptoms.
DIY Heat Illness Prevention Kit
Duration: 45 minutes
Level: Intermediate
Languages: English and Spanish
Digital: $550.00
Digital and Hard Copy: $675.00
Description: DIY TRAINING KIT: COURSE A – This do-it-yourself training kit provides you with all the materials needed to conduct in-house, classroom-style heat illness prevention training. Materials include: Facilitator guides, student guides, wallet cards, course completion certificates, and an interactive presentation
Injury and Illness Prevention Plan Manual
Digital Delivery: $600.00
Digital and Hard Copy: $725.00
3-Year Maintenance: $590.00
Description: MANUAL – The Injury and Illness Prevention Plan is a customized manual written to federal OSHA regulations. Pick from over 120 elective policies, such as heat illness prevention, to build a complete safety manual. Opt into manual maintenance to ensure your manual remains up-to-date when regulations change.
Heat Illness Prevention
Chapter Add-On
Digital and Hard Copy: $135.00
Description: CHAPTER ADD ON – Add the heat illness prevention chapter to an existing Safety Services Company Injury and Illness Prevention Plan manual, if this chapter was not selected at the time of purchase.
Any employee that conducts outdoor work in hot climates is at risk. However, there are some occupations that the BLS identified as more at risk based on 2015 nonfatal injury data. In order, these are:
Cal/OSHA writes about at least 5 types of heat-related illness.
Heat stroke is the worst. It is often fatal if not treated quickly.
The body loses water and salt through sweat. Too much and it becomes “heat exhaustion”.
When the body loses salts and minerals from excess sweating, it can cause painful cramps. The cramps may not start instantly. They may occur after work or at night.
Sudden shifts from sitting or lying to standing in the heat can lead to dizziness or fainting. When dehydrated or not used to the heat, people are more prone to fainting. That’s heat syncope.
Excessive sweating from heat can cause clogged pores. That causes skin irritation—or heat rash.
Better still companies should develop a complete heat illness prevention program. This program should include policy, training, and training reinforcement.
Heat illness training provides a great introduction or deep dive into the topic of heat illness. This is perfect to refresh, supplement, or reinforce internal policy or onsite training. In addition, our online training platform, SafetyConnect is a feature-rich content and learning management system to support all of your safety needs: from storage of important heat illness safety and training records to conducting remote demonstrations of Heat illness equipment specific to your workplace.
If you have a competent and qualified heat illness trainer of your own, Safety Services Company offers heat illness training kits. These kits include the following:
A complete heat illness policy should be specific to your business and work sites. Safety Services Company offers manuals customized for your business.
When you need help setting up a complete heat illness safety program, Safety Services Company can send out a safety professional to evaluate your work environment and offer consultation.
Working with ISNetworld®, Avetta®, Veriforce®, or any of 30+ prequalification platforms to land a contract with a safety-minded organization? Safety Services Company offers safety prequalification services to help companies meet prequalification platform requirements for heat illness and other such safety topics. These services are not limited to but include:
To reinforce a heat illness training, companies must regularly talk about heat illness topics. Weekly safety meetings and toolbox talks allow this. Safety Services Company offers industry-guided heat illness safety meetings sent in weekly or biweekly installments. Choose from over 1,000 topics, including heat illness.
OSHA does not maintain a complete Heat Illness regulation, but employers must protect workers from “recognized hazards”. Heat-related illnesses are recognized hazards. OSHA may use the General Duty Clause to cite companies who fail to protect workers from heat exposure.
Also known as the Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez heat illness standard, this California regulation covers general industry, agriculture, construction, landscaping, oil, gas, and transport. Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez was a 17-year-old laborer who died after working 9 hours in the heat without access to water or shade. This event spurred the creation of today’s standard. It requires employers to provide water, shade, training, and planning in at or greater than 80°F weather.
This Minnesota law requires indoor temperatures be kept at reasonable levels and that outdoor air circulates indoors. It also covers protection from colder temperatures.
This standard states that employers in Washington must address outdoor heat in their written accident prevention programs. They should also encourage employees to consume water to stay hydrated.
If you have heatstroke, you may or may not sweat and your:
By ensuring we stay in compliance requirements through professional audits and maintenance of our accounts. Safety Services enables our safety staff more time in the field concentrating on the hands-on day-to-day managing safety of our employees with ease in mind.
David H. – Ohio