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Working in hot outdoor environments can result in heat illness, which left untreated can rapidly lead to serious health-threatening situations.
To prevent heat illness, SU personnel including but not limited to field researchers, grounds/ facility maintenance staff and their supervisors are to:
• Understand the environmental and personal risk factors for heat illness
• Take the necessary steps for preventing heat illness
• Be able to recognize the early signs/ symptoms of heat illness
• Know the University’s established emergency response procedures for heat illness
The main environmental risk factors for heat illness are:
• Air temperature
• Relative humidity
• Radiant heat (e.g. from the sun)
• Conductive heat (e.g., from the ground) • Air movement (beneficial when < 95°F, detrimental when > 95°F)
• Work intensity/ duration
• Clothing worn
The main personal risk factors for heat illness are:
• Age
• Degree of acclimatization
• Medical conditions*
• Water consumption • Alcohol consumption
• Caffeine consumption
• Use of prescription medicines*
* Recommend consulting with personal physician to check if condition(s) may increase risk for heat illness.
Early signs/ symptoms of heat illness include:
• Headache
• Muscle cramps • Unusual fatigue
Progression to serious illness such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke can be rapid, and is indicated by symptoms including:
• Unusual behavior
• Confusion
• Nausea/ vomiting
• Weakness • Rapid pulse
• Excessive sweating or hot dry skin
• Seizures
• Fainting
Any of these symptoms for serious heat illness require immediate medical attention.
Workplace Emergency Procedures
If any of the serious illness symptoms listed above are present, and first aid trained personnel are not immediately available to make an assessment, immediately call 911 (or 9-911 from a campus phone) or transport employee to the Stanford Hospital Emergency Room. While waiting for emergency help:
• Get victim to a cool environment
• Loosen or remove excess clothing
• Provide cool drinking water if person is conscious and not nauseous
• Fan and mist the person with water
• Apply a water-soaked towel (or ice pack wrapped in a towel) to head and ice packs to the armpits.
Preventing Heat Illness- Requirements
1) Heat Illness Prevention Training
Employees and supervisors shall be provided training prior to assigning and beginning outside work in warmer weather. This safety training shall cover:
a) The general information in this document, and
b) Department-specific procedures
• Departments shall document local heat illness prevention procedures which shall be made available to employees. Refer to Appendix A below or contact EH&S at 723-0448 for guidance on creating these procedures.
2) Access to Drinking Water
A sufficient quantity of suitably cool drinking water shall be readily accessible to allow every working person to drink at least four cups per hour. Personnel shall be encouraged to maintain regular fluid intake.
3) Access to Shade
A shaded area, open to the air or provided with ventilation or cooling, shall be provided as close as practicable to the work area to encourage workers to take cool-down rest breaks as needed. The shaded area shall allow workers to sit in a normal posture without being in physical contact of each other (examples: shade tents, vehicles with air-conditioning, sufficient shadows from vegetation and buildings).
4) Work Planning and Supervision
a) Assess conditions-- Prior to assigning outdoor work during warm periods, check weather forecasts (http://www.weather.gov/) and the current weather (https://weather.stanford.edu/) to assess the potential for heat stress/ illness. Note: for unseasonably humid days, the heat load will be greater.
For warmer periods, recommend to:
- Schedule outdoor work during cooler parts of the day
- Plan a staff rotation for strenuous work tasks
- Advise staff to wear lighter, loose-fitting clothing and wide-brimmed hats
b) Worker acclimatization-- The body needs a certain period of time to adjust to working in heat and humidity, especially when heavy physical exertion is required. Typically, people can adapt to significant increases in heat within 4 – 14 days of a progressively increasing workload. NOTE: Acclimatization is especially important for new employees, those returning to work after a prolonged absence or recent illness, or for those recently moving from a cooler climate.
c) For outdoor temperatures of 85°F or warmer, supervisors shall ensure:
- Shade is provided for employee rest breaks.
? When a worker has brief periods of outdoor work without nearby shade, the employee shall be instructed on how he/ she will be able to quickly access shade as needed for heat illness prevention
? Where it is not safe or feasible to provide shade at or near the worksite for prolonged periods, supervisor shall document why shade cannot be provided and what steps will be taken to provide shade upon request or an alternative cooling measure with equivalent protection (e.g., cooling vests, etc.). Retain records for one year.
- To remind and encourage staff throughout the day to:
? Drink plenty of water
? Take cool-down rests in the shade of no less than five minutes at a time when they feel need the need to do so to prevent overheating.
- Regular monitoring of employees for alertness and signs/symptoms of heat illness
- Effective means are provided for personnel to contact supervisor and emergency services
- Close supervision of a new employee within the first 14 days of hiring, unless the employee had been doing similar outdoor work for at least 10 of the past 30 days
To prevent heat illness, SU personnel including but not limited to field researchers, grounds/ facility maintenance staff and their supervisors are to:
• Understand the environmental and personal risk factors for heat illness
• Take the necessary steps for preventing heat illness
• Be able to recognize the early signs/ symptoms of heat illness
• Know the University’s established emergency response procedures for heat illness
The main environmental risk factors for heat illness are:
• Air temperature
• Relative humidity
• Radiant heat (e.g. from the sun)
• Conductive heat (e.g., from the ground) • Air movement (beneficial when < 95°F, detrimental when > 95°F)
• Work intensity/ duration
• Clothing worn
The main personal risk factors for heat illness are:
• Age
• Degree of acclimatization
• Medical conditions*
• Water consumption • Alcohol consumption
• Caffeine consumption
• Use of prescription medicines*
* Recommend consulting with personal physician to check if condition(s) may increase risk for heat illness.
Early signs/ symptoms of heat illness include:
• Headache
• Muscle cramps • Unusual fatigue
Progression to serious illness such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke can be rapid, and is indicated by symptoms including:
• Unusual behavior
• Confusion
• Nausea/ vomiting
• Weakness • Rapid pulse
• Excessive sweating or hot dry skin
• Seizures
• Fainting
Any of these symptoms for serious heat illness require immediate medical attention.
Workplace Emergency Procedures
If any of the serious illness symptoms listed above are present, and first aid trained personnel are not immediately available to make an assessment, immediately call 911 (or 9-911 from a campus phone) or transport employee to the Stanford Hospital Emergency Room. While waiting for emergency help:
• Get victim to a cool environment
• Loosen or remove excess clothing
• Provide cool drinking water if person is conscious and not nauseous
• Fan and mist the person with water
• Apply a water-soaked towel (or ice pack wrapped in a towel) to head and ice packs to the armpits.
Preventing Heat Illness- Requirements
1) Heat Illness Prevention Training
Employees and supervisors shall be provided training prior to assigning and beginning outside work in warmer weather. This safety training shall cover:
a) The general information in this document, and
b) Department-specific procedures
• Departments shall document local heat illness prevention procedures which shall be made available to employees. Refer to Appendix A below or contact EH&S at 723-0448 for guidance on creating these procedures.
2) Access to Drinking Water
A sufficient quantity of suitably cool drinking water shall be readily accessible to allow every working person to drink at least four cups per hour. Personnel shall be encouraged to maintain regular fluid intake.
3) Access to Shade
A shaded area, open to the air or provided with ventilation or cooling, shall be provided as close as practicable to the work area to encourage workers to take cool-down rest breaks as needed. The shaded area shall allow workers to sit in a normal posture without being in physical contact of each other (examples: shade tents, vehicles with air-conditioning, sufficient shadows from vegetation and buildings).
4) Work Planning and Supervision
a) Assess conditions-- Prior to assigning outdoor work during warm periods, check weather forecasts (http://www.weather.gov/) and the current weather (https://weather.stanford.edu/) to assess the potential for heat stress/ illness. Note: for unseasonably humid days, the heat load will be greater.
For warmer periods, recommend to:
- Schedule outdoor work during cooler parts of the day
- Plan a staff rotation for strenuous work tasks
- Advise staff to wear lighter, loose-fitting clothing and wide-brimmed hats
b) Worker acclimatization-- The body needs a certain period of time to adjust to working in heat and humidity, especially when heavy physical exertion is required. Typically, people can adapt to significant increases in heat within 4 – 14 days of a progressively increasing workload. NOTE: Acclimatization is especially important for new employees, those returning to work after a prolonged absence or recent illness, or for those recently moving from a cooler climate.
c) For outdoor temperatures of 85°F or warmer, supervisors shall ensure:
- Shade is provided for employee rest breaks.
? When a worker has brief periods of outdoor work without nearby shade, the employee shall be instructed on how he/ she will be able to quickly access shade as needed for heat illness prevention
? Where it is not safe or feasible to provide shade at or near the worksite for prolonged periods, supervisor shall document why shade cannot be provided and what steps will be taken to provide shade upon request or an alternative cooling measure with equivalent protection (e.g., cooling vests, etc.). Retain records for one year.
- To remind and encourage staff throughout the day to:
? Drink plenty of water
? Take cool-down rests in the shade of no less than five minutes at a time when they feel need the need to do so to prevent overheating.
- Regular monitoring of employees for alertness and signs/symptoms of heat illness
- Effective means are provided for personnel to contact supervisor and emergency services
- Close supervision of a new employee within the first 14 days of hiring, unless the employee had been doing similar outdoor work for at least 10 of the past 30 days
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References
https://web.stanford.edu/dept/EHS/prod/mainrencon/ ... 1.doc
http://ask2seenu.blogspot.com/2013/03/sunstroke-or ... .html
http://www.slideshare.net/kayakjim44/athlete-worke ... -2013
http://ask2seenu.blogspot.com/2013/03/sunstroke-or ... .html
http://www.slideshare.net/kayakjim44/athlete-worke ... -2013
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