Preventing Heat Illness
Our Heat Illness Prevention campaign educates workers on the dangers of working in the heat. While we’re moving into fall, the summer climate is still here in Texas and it’s important to remind our crew the risk of working in the heat. Through training, informational sessions, and social media messaging, workers and management will know how to protect themselves from heat. Our safety message comes down to three key words:
Water. Rest. Shade.
Factors That Increase Risk to Workers
High temperature and humidity
Direct sun exposure with no shade
Indoor exposure to other sources of radiant heat (ovens, furnaces)
Limited air movement (no breeze)
Low fluid consumption
Heavy personal protective clothing and equipment
Poor physical condition or health problems
Some medications. For example, different kinds of blood pressure pills or antihistamines
Pregnancy
Lack of recent exposure to hot working conditions
Previous heat-related illness
Advanced age (65+)
Protect Yourself in the Sun
Sunlight contains ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which causes premature aging of the skin, wrinkles, cataracts, and skin cancer.
Block Out UV Rays
Cover up. Wear tightly-woven clothing that blocks out light. Try this test: Place your hand between a single layer of clothing and a light source. If you can see your hand through the fabric, the garment offers little protection.
Use sunscreen. A sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 blocks 93% of UV rays. You want to block both UVA and UVB rays to guard against skin cancer. Be sure to follow application directions on the bottle.
Wear a hat. A wide brim hat (not a baseball cap) is ideal because it protects the neck, ears, eyes, forehead, nose, and scalp.
Wear UV-absorbent shades. Sunglasses don’t have to be expensive, but they should block 99 to 100% of UVA and UVB radiation.
Limit exposure. UV rays are most intense between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. If you’re unsure about the sun’s intensity, take the shadow test: If your shadow is shorter than you, the sun’s rays are the day’s strongest.