Beat the Heat

Heat exhaustion can come on pretty quickly, and can have a pretty debilitating effect.

Hydrate! It’s important to remember that water alone, isn’t always the answer. It’s important to hydrate well ahead of time when you’re expecting to be in the heat for long periods, hydrate with electrolyte-replenishing beverages in addition to water, and take frequent breaks to cool down. Also remember to never attempt to hydrate with energy drinks. Energy drinks actually increase your chances of heat-related illnesses due to their impact on your heart and blood pressure.

Check your urine frequency and color throughout the day. Water intake is adequate when urine is clear or light yellow. When the desire to urinate is less than twice per day and/or you are producing a dark yellow urine, you may be dehydrated.

Change start/end times. Whenever possible, plan the job start and end time earlier, or later, in the day in order to avoid direct heat.

Eat a Light Lunch. Avoid high-fat, greasy fast food. Try to eat a lighter meal during the hottest time of the day. Eating half of a sandwich, a bag of chips, unsweetened iced tea with a lot of lemon, and an apple are the mid-range to aim for. Skip the fries.

Get your sleep. REM sleep is harder to achieve in hot weather. Try to keep sleeping rooms cool.

Cover your head. A wide-brim hard hat is actually pretty good head covering against the sun. Add a nape protector or wrap-around sun visor to maximize protection, and ensure to use sun block on any exposed skin.

Cool it down. The neck and head pretty much govern the heat loading on the body, because a lot of blood flows through these parts. That’s why cooling "bandannas" are so effective. If you can keep the direct sun off the head and neck, it will help considerably. If you can add a cooling element to remove some caloric energy from your circulatory piping, better still.

Be alert. Keep an eye out for your coworkers. It is important for everyone to know what to do at his or her workplace in case of an emergency. If it’s extremely hot outside and a co-worker seems disoriented, call 911 immediately because they may be suffering a heat stroke. While you’re waiting for paramedics to arrive on scene, attempt to move the co-worker to a cooler area, remove any unnecessary clothing, provide drinking water and turn on a fan in their direction, or mist them with water.

Heat Index App. OSHA has released a free application for mobile devices that enables workers and supervisors to monitor the heat index at their work sites. The app displays a risk level for workers based on the heat index, as well as reminders about protective measures that should be taken at that risk level. Available for Android-based platforms and the iPhone, the app can be downloaded in both English and Spanish by visiting http://s.dol.gov/RI.

References:

Medla, John. Tips to Survive Another Nuclear Summer. 2014. Web. 31 July 2017.

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