Prevent Heat Illness At Work

According to OSHA, heat is the leading weather-related killer — and the past 18 out of 19 years were the hottest on record! This alarming trend has landed among OSHA’s top regulatory concerns for 2023.

Working in hot, humid conditions in the sheet metal industry can lead to a number of heat-related illnesses. Additionally, heat conditions can change rapidly throughout the day, so it’s important to have a plan in place to prevent heat illness and quickly respond in case of an emergency.

As an employer, it’s your responsibility to protect your employees from heat-related illness by providing adequate water, shade and rest. Require new workers ease into work by following the 20% rule, which means working no more than 20% of their shift at full intensity in the heat, then increasing the duration by no more than 20% each day until they’re used to the heat. Encourage them to dress for the weather in light, breathable clothing. And make sure everyone has a buddy to help monitor each other for signs of illness.

What is heat stress?

Heat stress is caused when the body can’t cool itself by natural sweating and leads to several types of heat illness. Some signs of a worker in distress include:

• Abnormal thinking
• Obnormal behavior
• Slurred speech
• Headache or nausea
• Weakness or dizziness
• Elevated body temperature
• Loss of consciousness