OSHA Promoting Program For Safe Work In Hot Weather

Jul 9, 2013 - OSHA Safety Issues by

With summer in full swing and the work weeks filling up with sweltering conditions for outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is renewing its emphasis on its “Water. Rest. Shade.” program. The informational effort is designed to warn workers about how heat stress occurs and, better yet, how to recognize the signs and prevent it.

The Heat Illness Prevention Campaign was started in 2011. OSHA is now partnering with the National Weather Service to develop heat watch advisory and assistance programs that will further assist workers. Among the things currently being offered is a smart phone app, which can be found at the OSHA site for the program. The app allows workers to calculate the heat index for their location, determines a risk level, and provides strategies to protect those workers from heat related illnesses and fatalities.

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OSHA hopes to educate people who work outdoors, including in construction, about the dangers of being exposed to excessive heat. The risks are often overlooked or misidentified; and it is particularly difficult for people working in bulky clothing or around hot equipment because the ambient temperature is not all that should be taken into consideration. The program emphasizes common sense solutions by promoting the ample consumption of water, rest at appropriate intervals, and making an effort to get out of the sun as much as possible. By taking these and other simple steps, heat related issues can be better prevented and managed.

For more information, read the OSHA website on this issue or call your local OSHA office.

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