Page 72 - OHS, June 2023

SUMMER HAZARDS Summertime Safety Planning VladisChern/Shutterstock.com The heat’s coming and, with it, multiple safety challenges. Here’s how to make sure your team’s ready. BY GEN HANDLEY Summer is nearly here and with it, some hot work conditions for your employees. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “unusually hot summer temperatures have become more common across the contiguous 48 states in recent decades,” resulting in higher numbers of heat-related deaths and illnesses;1 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that more than 600 people die in the United States by extreme heat every year. 2 And in that extreme heat are thousands of people performing various important jobs and tasks, making sure that life can continue comfortably and safely. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that from 2011 to 2019, 255 U.S. workers died from extreme environmental heat exposure, with 57 deaths occurring to older workers (55 to 64), 144 to those working construction, repair or cleaning, as well as 54 people who were conducting materials handling operations. 3 With hot summers becoming increasingly frequent and even normal, employers need to pay more attention to safety when working in heat, if it’s not a priority already. But in addition to the very serious hazard of hot working conditions, as you’ll read below, summer also brings a number of other occupational hazards that must be identified and mitigated for the safety of your team members and your organization. Heat Stress The most dangerous occupational hazard during summer, heat stress, encompasses several heat-related illnesses including heat stroke, heat cramps, heat rashes, heat exhaustion and according to the OSHA, even rhabdomyolysis (rhabdo), which is the breakdown of muscle tissue due to performing prolonged physical work in excessive heat.4 OSHA says that workers who are at increased risk of heat stress include people over the age of 65, those who are overweight and have heart disease or high blood pressure, as well as people taking certain medications that may make them more sensitive to extreme heat.5 Because heat stress is a somewhat broad category of illnesses, the mitigation strategies required need to be comprehensive 70 Occupational Health & Safety | JUNE 2023 www.ohsonline.com