Page 12 - OHS, April/May 2023

SUMMER HAZARDS Many of the considerations that benefit employees in outdoor environments...also benefit them when working indoors, but there’s a key difference. spans multiple floors. For example, let’s say an employee works for a logistics and packing company. The warehouse has two floors—one at ground level and another directly above it. The ground floor has large vaulted ceilings and plenty of box fans to circulate the air. It’s warmer in the summer, but the temperature is closely monitored. The second floor is another story. It’s much smaller. There’s no ventilation aside from the entrance and exit. Because heat rises, the temperature on this floor is about 25 degrees hotter than it is on the main floor. What’s worse, there doesn’t seem to be any awareness of this issue. Employees who work on the second floor are treated the same as those working on the main floor. One day, an employee working on the second floor faints from heat exhaustion and is taken to the hospital. An OSHA officer arrives and writes a citation under the general duty clause. The worksite is deemed unsafe. In this case, one solution might be to install an air conditioning unit on the second floor. In other cases, like metal working facilities, extreme heat is part of the job. That’s why providing water, breaks, shade and other resources such as cooling towels is crucial. It’s rare that you can control the environment, but you can control how you and your team handle it. 3. Offer Protection from Pests If you’re working outdoors, there’s a good chance you’ll encounter pests during the summer, whether that’s insects, rodents, snakes or some other animal. Fortunately, OSHA has various guidelines on pest prevention.4 In the case of spiders, ticks and mosquitoes, it’s best to: ■ Wear long pants, socks and long-sleeved shirts to protect against stinging and biting. ■ Apply repellant with DEET directly to the hand and body for protection. ■ Spray clothing with repellents containing DEET or permethrin. (Important reminder: If using a repellant that contains permethrin, do not apply it directly to exposed skin.) ■ Treat bites and stings using over-the-counter products that relieve pain and reduce the risk of infection. ■ Wear light-colored clothes to see ticks more easily. ■ Dump out standing water from used sources (tires, buckets, etc.) to reduce or eliminate mosquito breeding areas. entering indoor areas. When it comes to other vermin, like snakes or rodents, it’s best to fifirst consider the geography. If landscaping near a marsh, you should be on the lookout for snakes or other reptiles. ThThe same goes for rats or other stray animals if you’re working in a densely wooded area that contains burrows. Understanding the environmental risks is a crucial first step in protecting yourself from them. This means if you’re aware certain factors could harm your team while they’re doing their job, it’s your responsibility to provide any and all necessary protection. This protection could range from repellant to bite cream to PPE. 4. Supply and Enforce the Use of PPE Supplying PPE and training employees on its proper usage is a critical piece of any summer safety plan. Before providing PPE, however, it’s important for you to clearly identify every hazard of your worksite. This hazard identification is part of a PPE program and is essential for ensuring you give the right PPE to your team.5 Here’s how this hazard identification might work in practice. Employees are on a construction site doing electrical work. The heat index is 90o Fahrenheit, and the wind is kicking up dust. In response to these potential hazards, you ■ Put up several tents for shade. ■ Bring coolers filled with bottled water. ■ Offer helmets with longer brims to block out the sun. ■ Give workers eyeglasses to protect them from any flying debris or dust. ■ Provide a full arc flash suit for team members as the electrical work requires the use of Level 4 PPE for arc flash potential.6 But you run into a couple of problems. Several team members complain that the glasses fog up too easily in the humidity, and they take them off. One of the electrical workers asks to use only a portion of the arc flash suit because it gets too hot in the sun. These problems offer you opportunities to accomplish three tasks: ■ Reeducate your team on PPE usage—perhaps with a refresher safety course. ■ Find PPE alternatives better suited to the heat, such as anti- fog glasses and vented hard hats. ■ Increase the number of breaks for employees in the arc flash suits to keep them cool. 5. Deliver Safety Training to New and Inexperienced Hires The summer might bring hotter temperatures, but it also brings a wave of new potential talent, whether that’s students (high school, trade school, college, etc.) on break or seasonal laborers looking for a job. This influx of new talent can introduce its fair share of risks, usually stemming from inexperience. For instance, students or recent grads probably don’t possess the industry know-how of leaders on your team. Adding new employees to your worksite also alters the team dynamic. You’re introducing new personalities to the mix, and you can’t know for sure what to expect. Just the maturity difference between new teenage hires and tenured members of your team may be enough to cause some tension. Tack on blistering hot temperatures www.ohsonline.com 12 ■ Instruct a coworker to inspect your body for ticks before Occupational Health & Safety | APRIL/MAY 2023