Heat Stress

As the summer continues, heat stress remains a severe problem, with workers experiencing a range of heat related problems, from heat rash to heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

There are a number of procedures for eliminating heat stress injuries for outdoor workers, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers these guidelines:

* permit only those workers acclimatized to heat to perform the more strenuous tasks
* provide additional workers to perform the tasks
* provide cool rest areas near 76º F in hot work environments
* workers should drink 5 to 7 ounces of fluids every 15-20 minutes to replenish the fluids they release through sweat
* protective clothing helps to prevent the transfer of heat from the air to the body, but the clothing must not interfere with the evaporation of sweat; the proper type of clothing depends on the specific circumstances, but can include reflective clothing