Heat related illness in employees is a serious health risk, especially amongst industries such as construction, agriculture, landscaping, restaurant, and manufacturing. Heat related illness is broadly defined as, “an illness that occurs due to high levels of heat and humidity.”
Anyone can be susceptible to heat related illnesses, but there are some people who are more at risk than others, such as those who work in industries where they are continually exposed to heat and hot temperatures, those who require more PPE to work safely and prevent other hazards, and those who may have personal risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure or low levels of physical fitness. Each individual can have varying degrees of heat illness, and may not respond to heat the same way as others, so any heat related symptoms should be properly assessed and directed to a doctor as soon as possible.
Symptoms of heat illnesses can be minor and easily treated, such as sweating, fatigue, or headaches or they can be life threatening with symptoms such as seizures, very high body temperature, loss of consciousness or altered mental status. Heat cramps and exhaustion are the most common types of heat illness, whereas heat strokes, although less common, can be fatal and requires immediate medical intervention if the victim is to survive and have a good prognosis and recovery.
New employees are at the highest risk for falling ill to heat illness and dying from them. In fact, most outdoor heat-related fatalities, around 50 to 70 percent, occur in the first few days to a week of working in hot environments. The body needs to build a tolerance to the heat gradually over time, and new employees or current employees who may have switched positions in their firm to something where they may be exposed to hotter environments may fall ill to heat quicker than established employees.
The process of building tolerance is called heat acclimatization, which is a series of a gradual increases in the amount of time an employee will spend in the heat as they get used to it. When there is a lack of acclimatization, it poses a major risk factor for fatal outcomes, as it’s crucial the body has time to adjust to hotter surroundings.
As an employer, it’s important that you know how to recognize symptoms of heat related illness and take steps to preventing the following conditions:
1. Heat Cramps- These are the mildest form of heat illness and occur during exercise or intense physical activity in high heat. They are painful muscle spasms and cramps that can occur in any muscle in the body. Symptoms of heat cramps are: painful cramps, especially in the legs, and flushed, moist skin.
2. Heat Exhaustion- More serious than heat cramps but not as bad as heat stroke, heat exhaustion is caused by a loss of water and salt in the body. It occurs in conditions of high heat and excessive sweating, which deplete the fluid and salt reserves within the body. It happens as the result of the body not being able to cool itself properly and if left untreated, can progress to heat stroke. Symptoms of heat exhaustion are: muscle cramps, pale, moist skin, fever over 100.4 degrees, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, severe fatigue, weakness, anxiety and fainting.
3. Heat Stroke- The most severe of the heat related illnesses is heat stroke. When the body’s temperature regulating system is overwhelmed by excessive heat, a heat stroke can occur. The skin of the victim may be dry as the ability to sweat has been lost. This is a life-threatening emergency and requires immediate medical care if the victim is to survive. Symptoms of heat stroke are: high fever, often over 104 degrees, rapid heart rate, loss of appetite, confusion, agitation, headache, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, seizures, coma and death are possible.
First aid and treatment of these conditions depend on what type of heat illness is present.
For all of the above conditions, it’s imperative that the victim be moved to a cool place and allowed to rest. Do not make them continue the physical activity, as continued activity could cause a progression in heat related illness. Another thing that is important for the above conditions is to take off any excess clothing that may be on the victim to allow for them to cool off more effectively.
For heat cramps and exhaustion, encourage fluids and provide a sports drink that is cool to help the body replace the electrolytes lost and to speed up recovery. Stretching, in the case of heat cramps may be helpful to get them to go away sooner, but be sure that you stretch them slowly and gently.
If there is no improvement, especially in the case of heat exhaustion, escort the victim to the emergency room so that they may be administered IV fluids and supportive care to prevent heat exhaustion from becoming a heat stroke, if needed.
Heat strokes are ALWAYS an emergency, so as soon as symptoms of heat stroke are recognized, call 911 immediately so the victim can be escorted to the ER as soon as possible. While waiting for the ambulance, remove the excess clothing the victim may be wearing, and drench the victim’s skin with cool water and fan it to prevent the illness from becoming more disastrous. Place ice bags on the armpits and groin areas to cool them down as much as possible. If the victim is alert and able to drink, offer cool fluids and encourage them to drink.
What can I do to prevent heat illness in the workplace for my employees?
There are quite a few things that you, as the employer can do to help prevent heat illness in your workers. Depending on your industry which may need to be tailored to specific instruction, some of the basic prevention methods are as follows:
1. Allow and offer employees a consistent supply of cool, clean and potable water near the job site for your employees to drink as needed. Ensure you have enough for each employee and account for how much they may need to drink to remain safe on their job site.
2. Allow them to take more frequent breaks in hot weather or conditions, water breaks and limit time spent in the environment if it is consistently hot and poses a health hazard.
3. Increase the numbers of workers needed for tasks, as you are able to and spread the workload out more so it’s not just one or two people doing a physically intense job.
4. Train and educate employees (including supervisors) on heat illnesses and recognizing the symptoms and first aid of them.
5. Implement a buddy system amongst workers and encourage them to observe one another and look for signs of heat intolerance.
6. Create a safe heat acclimatization plan and help your employees increase their physical fitness so they may be able to carry out their duties more safely.
If you’re proactive about preventing heat illnesses in your employees, this will minimize their risk and help them perform their job duties safely. For more information on heat related illness and what you can do to help prevent it, we recommend you check out the CDC or OSHA pages discussing heat hazards and prevention.