Prioritizing the Safety and Well-Being of Employee’s Amid Global Climate Conditions
Awareness and training are two key factors in protecting workers from heat-related illnesses.
Once again, parts of the U.S. have experienced record-breaking temperatures this summer, and it’s clear that instances of extreme weather, including very high temperatures, will become more frequent until we make effective inroads into tackling climate change. Currently, the Paris Agreement is seeking to prevent further temperature rises rather than reduce existing levels; with that in mind, organizations need to consider sustainable interventions to keep workers safe and healthy during adverse weather conditions, including heatwaves, which will only become more frequent.
What’s the Risk?
In some industries, such as mining, foundries, bakeries, catering and laundries, working in hot environments is the norm. At the same time, other workers will be used to seasonal variations in temperature, such as those working in agriculture, horticulture, sports, construction, postal services, research, airports, emergency and defense, wind farms, oil platforms, and the like. But for a large portion of the working population, risks from heat will only be encountered when the weather is unseasonal. For all of these groups, however, a failure to manage heat risks can result in deaths and serious injury and illness.
Temperature and humidity need to be considered. Humidity can increase risk as in high humidity environments, less sweat can evaporate, thus impacting the body’s natural temperature regulation – increasing the chances of heat stress and other heat-induced illnesses, including heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Overlapping with heat stress is dehydration. Dehydration is when you lose more fluids than you take in. In hot, humid or high work rates environments, this is a particular risk. Even if workers replenish the lost sweat with equal amounts of water, they may still suffer from dehydration due to the loss of salt caused by sweating. As well as feeling thirsty, dehydration can make individuals dizzy, lightheaded, lethargic, and reduce urine output or cause headaches. More severe dehydration can lead to low blood pressure, fever and unconsciousness, and, if untreated, death.
