Keep Your Cool When It’s Hot Outside

Peter Zaidel

We’re deep into the dog days of summer and as the weather heats up, heat-related illness becomes a real threat much like the physical or chemical hazards in your shop. Heat-related illnesses are typically associated with exposure to extreme temperatures or vigorous activity, or a combination of both. When the body’s heat dissipation mechanism becomes overloaded, it may lose the ability to cool itself resulting in elevated body temperature and the onset of heat illness.

Two important factors contribute to putting a person at higher risk for heat illness: environmental and personal risk factors. Environmental factors include temperature, humidity, and air velocity. These conditions determine how easily a person will be able to cool their system. When the temperature and humidity are high and the air velocity is low, it becomes more difficult for sweat to evaporate and cool the body. Some of the personal risk factors include physical fitness and acclimatization. Poor physical fitness, age, recent illness, dehydration, alcohol consumption, and certain medications may add to the body’s risk of being susceptible. Additionally, when exposed to heat for a few days, the body will adapt and become more efficient at dealing with high temperatures. This acclimation usually takes six to seven days, but may be lost in as little as three days. People who work in these extreme weather conditions need to be allowed to gradually re-acclimate to their environment to avoid the risk of heat stress.

In order to prevent heat illness, you must recognize the hazard. Obviously, if it’s a hot day, dress appropriately and understand there will be radiant heat around your work area. If you have a cold or a previous stress-related illness, let someone know. During periods of extreme heat, it is important to replace the water your body loses through sweating – each hour you should drink four 4-ounce glasses of water (one every 15 minutes). Avoid alcohol and caffeine, as both will tend to dehydrate your body. Another measure to take would be to eat smaller meals throughout the day; if you eat a large meal, the body sends more blood to the stomach to help digest the meal. The digestion causes body temperature to increase as the meal is metabolized. When working outdoors, take breaks in the shade to limit your exposure to the sun. This might be an appropriate time to replace the water your body has lost. And if you work in extreme conditions, take time to allow your body to readjust to the environment upon returning from time-off or vacation. Limit yourself to two hours of heat exposure and then gradually work up to four hours to fully acclimate to the heat. Don’t overdo it. Everyone responds differently to high temperature conditions.

If you’re a supervisor, be sure to inform your employees of these risk factors, the symptoms, and the preventative measures. Heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke all have varying symptoms and it’s important to be able to identify each before it progresses. The best way to get the word out is through training. If you’re a current KPA client you can log into myKPAonline and download a “focus on safety” training template from your “EHS Documents.” This is a toolbox training outline that will guide you through a discussion with the employees in your shop, including identifying heat-related illness symptoms and providing first aid. Otherwise you can always contact your KPA engineer for additional assistance and training during your next visit. However you get the word out, ensure your employees understand the risks and know how to react. Most important, stay cool out there!