No Safety Tidbit - Happy Memorial Day

Hello Everyone,
No Safety Tidbit this week.  Have an enjoyable and safe Memorial Day weekend!

See you next week.

Thanks for reading Safety Tidbits

Bryan

Safety Tidbit 2.41 – It’s Summer Once Again!

Safety Tidbit 2.41 – It’s Summer Once Again!

Reference:        OSHA Heat Stress Webpage

It’s that time of year again. The temperature is rising and everyone wants to be outside! However, many of my clients are indoors in large facilities with virtually not environmental controls.

Engineering controls:

• Air conditioning (such as air-conditioned crane or construction equipment cabs, air conditioning in break rooms).
• Increased general ventilation.
• Cooling fans. (ceiling fans are best)
• Local exhaust ventilation at points of high heat production or moisture (such as exhaust hoods in laundry rooms).
• Reflective shields to redirect radiant heat.
• Insulation of hot surfaces (such as furnace walls).

Administrative Controls:

• Have an emergency plan in place that specifies what to do if a worker has signs of heat-related illness, and ensures that medical services are available if needed.
• Take steps that help workers become acclimatized (gradually build up exposure to heat), especially workers who are new to working in the heat or have been away from work for a week or more. Gradually increase workloads and allow more frequent breaks during the first week of work.
• Have adequate potable (safe for drinking) water close to the work area, and workers should drink small amounts frequently.
• Rather than being exposed to heat for extended periods of time, workers should, wherever possible, be permitted to distribute the workload evenly over the day and incorporate work/rest cycles.
• Rotating job functions among workers can help minimize overexertion and heat exposure.
• Workers need to watch out for each other for symptoms of heat-related illness and administer appropriate first aid to anyone who is developing a heat-related illness.

Personal Protective Equipment:

• Insulated gloves, insulated suits, reflective clothing, or infrared reflecting face shields.
• Thermally conditioned clothing, for example:
• A garment with a self-contained air conditioner in a backpack.
• A garment with a compressed air source that feeds cool air through a vortex tube.
• A plastic jacket whose pockets can be filled with dry ice or containers of ice.

Ultimately, all workers must be trained so they understand the effects of heat and how they can help reduce their stress and keep themselves and their co-workers safe.

Hope this was helpful and thanks for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

P.S. If you have a burning safety or health question please let me know.