OSHA Heat Stress Regulations
Construction workers and other laborers can sometimes work in environments with high levels of heat. This heat can cause minor to severe health issues. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) has established guidelines to help protect laborers working under intense conditions. These guidelines provide employers and employees with steps to take to prevent a heat-induced ailment.
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Types of Heat Stress
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OHSA lists six types of problems caused by heat. They are: heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heat collapse, heat rashes and heat fatigue. Symptoms range from causing a worker to experience dizziness or fainting to more severe issues such as brain damage or death.
OHSA Investigations
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In the event of a suspected heat stress problem, an OSHA inspector will conduct an investigation in to the issue. This will be done through employer and employee interviews. Employers may be asked questions about the heat sources, the preventative methods used and if other issues have been experienced in the past. Employees may be asked what symptoms they experienced, what preventative actions the employer takes or whether heat stress was discussed during training. Following interviews, the inspector will conduct an inspection of the facility in question. A work-load assessment will also be used to determine the metabolic rates for certain tasks.
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Natural Heat Reductions
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Employers should use two methods to reduce the strain of heat on workers. This includes acclimatization and fluid replacement. Acclimatization is the process in which an individual's body adapts to a new temperature. This process, done over the first few days of work, exposes workers to high heat levels gradually to allow their bodies to adjust. Fluid replacement provides workers with cool beverages to regenerate lost water. OSHA recommends water supplies be placed near work areas. Workers should drink one cup of water every 20 minutes.
Mechanical Cooling
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OSHA recommends using ventilation, air treatment/cooling, air conditioning, fans, heat shields or heat insulation to reduce the amount of heat being generated in a work area. These methods can help reduce heat stress.
Training
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Preparing workers for the challenges associated with high temperatures is a crucial part of reducing heat stress. According to the OSHA Technical Manual, a heat stress training program should teach: knowledge of hazards; recognition of symptoms; first aid procedures; employee responsibilities; dangers of drug use; types of protective clothing and equipment; and the advantages of environmental and medical surveillance programs.
Scheduling and Monitoring
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OSHA states that hot jobs should be scheduled at night or during cooler parts of the day. Other helpful steps include reducing physical demand, scheduling extra workers, and providing cool down areas for breaks. Workers in hot areas should also be monitored. OSHA states that workers should be weighed at the beginning and end of each work day to measure body water loss. An excess of 1.5 percent means that water intake should be increased. Oral temperatures should also be checked with excessive temperatures requiring shortened work cycles.
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References
- Photo Credit Hard working construction worker at a construction scene. image by Andy Dean from Fotolia.com
