Reducing the Risk of Heat-related Illnesses

With extreme heat being felt across the country, it’s important to remember that employers with workers exposed to high temperatures should establish a heat illness protection program.

Heat-related deaths and illnesses are preventable. Despite this, the CDC reports that more than 600 people in the U.S. are killed by extreme heat every year. For agricultural workers, the risk increases when summer temperatures and humidity are high.

A federal heat standard is not in effect yet; however, some states run their own OSHA-approved plans. Under OSHA’s General Duty Clause, employers are required to provide employees with a place of employment that "is free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious harm to employees." This includes heat-related hazards that are likely to cause death or serious bodily harm.

Recognizing the Signs of Heat Illness

Heat exhaustion, when the body cannot stay cool, can affect anyone. Symptoms often include headaches, nausea, dizziness, weakness, sweaty skin, and cramps. Resting in a cool location, lying down, and elevating legs are recommended. If symptoms don’t improve, it’s a good idea to seek medical attention.

Heat exhaustion can quickly develop into heat stroke, which can be fatal. Heat stroke is when the body cannot control its own temperature to stay cool enough. Symptoms include high body temperature, little or no sweating, fast heartbeat, confusion, irritability, and fainting. Because heat stroke is an emergency, 9-1-1 should be called immediately, and the supervisor notified. Move the person to a cooler place and help lower the person’s body temperature with water or ice.

Reducing the Risk of Heat Illness

Most work-related heat incidents are caused within the first few days of working in the heat. It can take one to two weeks for a person to become acclimated to working in hot, humid conditions. General guidelines for new and unacclimatized workers is two hours of working in the heat on day one, with a 20% increase per day.

In addition to acclimation, OSHA suggests the following measures to help protect workers from extreme heat:

• Drink at least one cup of cool water, even if not thirsty
• Take rest breaks to recover from hot and humid conditions
• Find shade or a cool location to take breaks
• Dress for the heat. Wear a hat and light-colored, breathable clothing
• Monitor each other for signs of illness
• If wearing a face covering, verbally check on others frequently
• Alter work schedules to reduce exposure to heat
• Plan for emergencies, including a response and communication plan

During these summer months, it’s essential to recognize heat hazards and implement a program to mitigate the health risks faced by our ag workers due to high temperature, humidity, sun and other thermal exposures, work demands, clothing or PPE, and personal risk factors. Contact the AssuredPartners agribusiness team for resources to help protect your workers from heat-related dangers.