What Are the OSHA Heat Regulations? + How to Develop a Heat Safety Plan

Establish a Heat Illness Prevention Plan to Protect Employees

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When it comes to heat hazards, there are a variety of risk factors to monitor, environmental conditions may change rapidly, and it can be challenging to spot early signs of illness. Building heat-related illness prevention into your workplace safety policy is integral to ensuring your employees engage in safe work practices.

Here are six areas to focus on when establishing plans and protocols for heat safety.

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1. Hydration and rest breaks

• Develop a mandatory break schedule and increase the frequency as the risk of heat-related illness rises
• Set up easily accessible hydration stations with enough drinking water for each employee to consume one quart per hour
• Provide sports drinks, ice pops, and hydration supplements
• Make first aid kits available throughout worksites, and regularly check that they’re fully stocked

2. Engineering controls

• Make cooling systems such as air conditioning and fans available wherever possible
• Install insulation around heat sources and use reflective shields to redirect radiant heat
• Improve ventilation and airflow wherever possible to encourage heat dissipation
• Leverage powered equipment like conveyors and forklifts to reduce employee workload and physical exertion
• At outdoor worksites, set up ample shade and misters for employees to cool off during breaks
• Use a wet bulb globe temperature device to monitor environmental conditions

3. Training

• Train all employees on precautions to take and heat safety tips to follow in hot environments as well as how to adjust to changing conditions
• Make sure workers understand the early signs of heat-related illness and set clear action plans for how to report symptoms
• Provide first aid classes, instructions on how to treat heat-related illnesses, and guidance on when to seek emergency medical care
• Discuss contingency plans for possible complications like unseasonably warm temperatures, power outages, and broken cooling systems
• Include heat hazard planning in monthly safety meetings during warmer months to serve as a refresher for employees

4. New workers and acclimatization

• Ensure new workers have clothing that is well ventilated and allows excess body heat to dissipate
• Follow acclimatization guidelines by restricting new workers to no more than 20% of a shift at full intensity, increasing by 20% each day until they’re comfortable with the conditions
• Pair newer workers with experienced employees who can help them understand the work conditions and ease into the situation
• Train supervisors to proactively monitor new hires and ensure they’re taking frequent breaks, hydrating, and following your company’s heat policies

5. Work practices

• Create an inclement weather policy that includes contingencies for extreme heat
• When possible, schedule work during cooler parts of the day, such as early morning
• Set a maximum temperature for work as appropriate for your environmental conditions
• Rotate high-effort job functions among workers to minimize exertion and workload
• Use an employee safety monitoring platform to communicate weather conditions and give employees a way to report issues or illnesses in real time

6. Personal protective equipment

• Identify how PPE increases heat hazards and factor that into your plans to monitor conditions
• Encourage the use of reflective clothing, as well as light and loose-fitting materials
• In outdoor settings, provide sunscreen and give employees the option to wear hats as long as they don’t conflict with other PPE guidelines
• Provide cooling neck wraps and jackets or vests with built-in ice packs to help reduce body temperature

Source: https://gardencourte.com
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