NSC:

The risks of heat-related illness can occur in any weather, indoors and out, and supervisors and workers alike need to watch for the early warning signs. From heat cramps and exhaustion to heat stroke, help make sure you and your workforce are prepared to stay safe in extreme heat.

The Council’s Injury Facts website shares that in 2021, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported 201 people died and 67 were injured in the U.S. from weather-related excessive heat. It is important to watch out for the most vulnerable populations, including those who work in the heat, older adults and infants and young children – especially if left in hot cars.

Since 1998, more than 900 children have died from vehicular heatstroke – an average of 38 per year. This is a workplace issue as approximately 25% of these deaths have occurred at the parent or caregiver’s place of work. We need everyone to be alert as they are walking into work in case a child has inadvertently been left in a vehicle. Encourage your staff to take the Council’s free online Children in Hot Cars training offered in both English and Spanish. Also, share the tragic story in this video so no other family has to experience this pain.

NIOSH:

Both outdoor and indoor workers who are exposed to occupational heat stress (the combination of heat from environmental factors, metabolic heat, clothing, and personal protective equpment) may be at risk for heat-related illnesses and injuries. Heat-related illnesses may include heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heat rashes, and rhabdomyolysis. Injuries with heat as a factor may also occur, such as falls when someone becomes dizzy, slips on sweat puddles on floors, and fogged up safety glasses. As temperatures and events like heat waves increasingly become a concern, more workplaces may be affected, and it will be important to create a protective workplace heat-illness prevention program.

Heat-illness prevention programs should include elements for monitoring weather and assessing the environmental heat at the worksite(s), an acclimatization plan for new and returning workers, engineering controls (such as, shade structures, ventilation, reflective barriers), appropriate hydration resources, work/rest schedules, emergency plans, and training for supervisors and workers. Employers should provide training to workers so they understand what heat stress is and contributing risk factors, symptoms of heat-related illness and first aid, and what steps can be taken to reduce risk.

A number of resources are available on the NIOSH Heat Stress website including: the Criteria for a Recommended Standard: Occupational Exposure to Heat and Hot Environments; the OSHA-NIOSH Heat Safety Tool App; the Prevent Heat-Related Illness Poster; and the OSHA-NIOSH Small Business Safety and Health Handbook. To catch the latest resources, webinars, and events on heat across collaborating Federal partners, visit Heat.gov.

https://www.nsc.org/workplace/national-safety-month

Please download and share the free safety materials from NSC including a poster, social media toolkit, animated graphics, articles and more – plus NSC members get additional exclusive resources. Visit the NIOSH website, eNews, blog, and social media accounts to stay safe this month and all year long.