Page 10 - OHS, April/May 2023

SUMMER HAZARDS 5 Tips to Keep Workers Safe This Summer DedMityay/Shutterstock.com Employees face new hazards during the hotter months, but luckily, there are ways to ensure they remain healthy and safe. BY ZACH PUCILLO The summer is a great time to schedule vacations, show off your barbecuing prowess and enjoy a day on the beach. But the summer can also complicate life for people working outdoors, whether by increasing the chances of heat-related illnesses or by forcing workers to fend off virulent pests like ticks and mosquitoes. Read on for five best practices to beat the heat and keep your worksite and employees safe this summer. 1. Provide Ample Shade and Water as Temperatures Rise Outside During the summer months, people are at a much greater risk of experiencing heat exhaustion or heat stroke. And these aren’t minor illnesses—heat stroke can compromise and even kill parts of the central nervous system. The ubiquity of this issue hasn’t fully translated to OSHA ordinances, though. In fact, as of this writing, there is no permanent OSHA standard when it comes to handling environmental heat. There is currently a National Emphasis Program in effect for outdoor and indoor heat-related hazards, but it only lasts for three years after implementation, which was on April 8, 2022.1 Without a permanent standard, OSHA officers can’t issue citations for specific hazards related to heat, but there is a slight workaround. OSHA officers can cite dangerous work conditions using the general duty clause. What might lead to a citation? ■ Not providing adequate shade at your worksite. ■ Failing to offer—or enforce—mandatory breaks. Not providing enough potable water at your worksite. Beyond these concrete actions, managers are also tasked with a somewhat intangible duty: monitoring their team’s response to the heat.2 If an employee has been working in a hotter region of the country for an extended period of time, there’s a pretty good chance they’ve acclimated to the environment. But if an employee either recently moved to an area or just started working in the industry, this heat acclimation might take longer. It’s important that your team feels comfortable expressing themselves when they’re uncomfortable. In the summer, prioritizing employee safety largely comes from your—and your employees’—ability to recognize symptoms of heat illnesses.3 2.Don’tForgettoMonitorTemperaturesIndoors Many of the considerations that benefit employees in outdoor environments (potable water, breaks, etc.) also benefit them when working indoors, but there’s a key difference. When working outdoors, every person on your worksite experiences the same weather. If temperatures rise to dangerous levels, everyone knows and can respond accordingly. Working indoors is a whole different ball game, especially if your worksite 10 Occupational Health & Safety | APRIL/MAY 2023 www.ohsonline.com ■