Summer Workplace Safety: New Tools and Resources to Manage Heat Exposure
As temperatures rise, maintaining workplace safety becomes increasingly critical. The U.S. Department of Labor has launched new resources to help manage the risks associated with heat exposure.
Among these resources are two essential tools from OSHA: the Heat Emergency Wallet Card and the Working in the Heat Brochure. The wallet card outlines emergency signs, symptoms, and immediate actions for heat emergencies, fitting conveniently into ID badge holders. The brochure provides comprehensive information about heat illness risk factors, symptoms, first aid, and key elements of a prevention program.
It's crucial for workplaces to refresh their heat safety training at this time of year. One innovative approach is the interactive game show tool submitted by Raytheon Missiles & Defense and Raytheon Intelligence & Space. This tool engages workers through gameshow-styled questions that cover heat hazards, symptom recognition, and prevention strategies.
OSHA also recommends using their Employer Checklist for Heat Safety to identify and mitigate heat risks in the workplace. This checklist aids employers in assessing job-related heat exposure risks and developing strategies to address them.
The National Weather Service has introduced an experimental tool to forecast heat risks over a seven-day period. This tool considers various factors, such as how unusual the heat is for the time of year and both daytime and nighttime temperatures, helping employers anticipate and plan for heat-related risks.
Finally, OSHA's collaboration with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration emphasizes preventing hot car deaths, with over 960 children having succumbed to vehicular heatstroke in the past 25 years. The Vehicular Heatstroke Prevention Toolkit offers vital resources to reduce these tragic incidents, highlighting the vulnerability of children and the preventable nature of these deaths.
By leveraging these new tools and approaches, employers can better prepare for the summer heat and ensure a safer working environment for all.
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