The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has a poster with information on how to protect yourself and others against heat illness. The poster includes valuable information regarding heat safety, prevention, signs and symptoms of heat illness and providing quick aid to someone experiencing heat illness. The poster also contains information regarding heat acclimatization. Heat acclimatization is the process of adjusting to environments at higher temperatures. Heat acclimatization can help in preventing heat illness.
Hydration is Key to Heat illness Prevention
Hydration is an important part of preventing heat illness. Keeping hydrated helps regulate body temperature which helps combat heat injury. OSHA has a valuable resource with information on how liquids you consume (such as alcohol or caffeine) and medications can play a role in hydration.
The fact sheet provides tips for employers to follow when encouraging their workers to stay hydrated, including the recommendations for the volume of water to drink. Along with continuous drinking, workers should take their scheduled meal breaks as food will help replace electrolytes lost from sweat.
Use the OSHA-NIOSH Heat App in your Workplace
Safety should always be a priority when working in the heat. The Heat Safety Tool developed by NIOSH and OSHA can help with this goal. Available to Android and iOS users, the app provides information regarding the daily heat index. The heat index measures what the temperature feels like to the human body. The higher the heat index, the higher the possibility of heat injury or illness. The information provided in the tool is very useful and can be utilized to take protective measures such as scheduling rest breaks, planning for emergencies, and adjusting work operations and workloads, thus aiding in reducing incidents related to heat illness.
In Case You Missed It: New Wallet Cards and Pocket-Sized Brochure
Last month, we shared two new resources for stakeholders. One resource was the ‘heat emergency wallet card’ and other was the ‘Working in the Heat brochure’. The wallet card provides a quick overview of emergency signs and symptoms and the key steps to take when a heat emergency arises. It is now available in English, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. The Working in the Heat brochure provides a pocket-sized resource that you can reference out in the field. It is also available in English, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Portuguese, and Vietnamese.
Participate in OSHA’s Beat the Heat Photo Contest
The Beat the Heat national contest is now live. This photo contest challenges stakeholders to capture an image of how to work safely in the heat and share it with OSHA. The contest aims to highlight effective strategies that stakeholders use to protect workers from the heat. Anyone can participate. Participants are asked to submit up to a maximum of 5 photographs. The contest will close on July 19.
