10 Safety Tips for Working in the Heat

As per the Economic Research Forum's Policy Brief No: 67, published in November 2021, observed that half of the work capacity could be lost at 33–34°C when a worker works at moderate work intensity. Working in high temperatures often leads to serious health problems, including heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and other heat-related illnesses. 

Several precautions, including wearing  PPE designed to keep you cool, can protect workers from risks related to heat stress. Here, we have compiled a few safety tips for working in the heat for employers, workers, and others to prevent illnesses from working in a hot environment.

Safety Tips for Working in the Heat: Why Heat Safety is Crucial for Workers

Heat safety is crucial for workers as heat stress can lead to severe health conditions and even death. The following are some of the consequences of heat stress because of which heat safety is considered necessary for workers: 

• Immediate Illnesses

Heat stress can lead to exhaustion, heatstroke, other illnesses, and even death.

• Long-term Chronic Diseases

Heat stress can also be a cause of chronic diseases affecting the cardiovascular or respiratory systems, as well as the kidneys. 

• Increased Risk of Accidents

Heat stress can lead to accidents because of dizziness, confusion, impaired cognitive functioning, and loss of dexterity. 

• Transmission of Communicable Diseases

Heat stress can exacerbate the risk of transmission of some communicable diseases. 

Safety Tips for Working in the Heat: Signs of Heat-Related Illness

Understanding the signs of heat-related illnesses can help you prevent critical conditions in yourself and others while working in the heat. Some of the symptoms of heat exhaustion include:

• Flushed face

• Muscle cramps

• Feelings of fatigue

• Over-sweating and 

• Dizziness

The next phase after heat exhaustion is heat stroke and its symptoms include:

• Rapid pulse

• Little-to-no sweating

• Above-average body temperatures

• Confusion

• Inability to speak properly

Safety Tips for Working in the Heat: 9 Ways to Stay Protected

Stay Hydrated

One of the most significant safety tips for working in the heat is to drink a lot of fluids throughout the day. As per the recommendations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a person should drink about a liter of water every hour. 

You can stick to this by drinking about 16 ounces of water before starting your work. You should keep hydrating by drinking about 8 ounces of water at intervals of 15 to 20 minutes.

Our hot weather tips for workers also include avoiding the intake of alcohol and energy drinks to avoid heat stress. On the one hand, Alcohol can worsen dehydration. On the other hand, the high caffeine in energy drinks can adversely affect your heart's health.

Eat Small Portions of Food 

During hot weather, eating several smaller meals would make you feel more comfortable than taking more elaborate meals like breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Good food choices for someone working in hot weather include fruits high in natural juice, nutrients, and fiber. Avoid taking food high in protein, as such food requires more water from your body to digest and can lead to dehydration. 

Heat safety tips for construction workers include consulting your healthcare provider for advice on working long hours outside in the sun after taking medications. Such situations can often lead to heat-related illnesses and skin sensitivity.

Take Regular Breaks

It is extremely important to take regular breaks while working long hours in the heat. These breaks interspersed among short work durations can help workers conserve energy, cool down, and rehydrate before continuing with their work. 

It is advisable to spend these breaks in a well-shaded area or an air-conditioned room to cool down your body. You can also use these breaks to rehydrate and snack. You should also monitor your body for any signs of heat-related discomfort. Employers should ensure that their workers have access to a proper place to rest and access to clean drinking water.

Take Time to Acclimatize

Acclimatization is the process by which one builds tolerance to the hot weather. It can take many days to about two weeks to adjust to the hot environment. When there is a drastic change in the temperature, workers should adjust to the climate by reducing their time outside by half. They can increase the workload slowly in the following three days. Thus, on the fourth day, they could return to their regular work schedule.

Acclimatization could also be used for completing personal projects such as landscaping and gardening while avoiding heat stress and dehydration. It is to be remembered that the tolerance built through acclimatization will be lost if you spend a few days away from the hot climate. Further, the time required by non-physically fit employees to acclimatize could be more compared to others.

Remain in Shaded or Partially Shaded Areas Whenever Possible 

One of the important safety tips for working in the heat is to block out or shade the sun when possible. Limit the duration that you spend directly under the sun by standing in shaded areas under umbrellas or work tents during breaks. When you limit your exposure to sun restrict your exposure to heat.

Use Protective Clothing

While discussing safety tips for working in the heat, it is necessary to emphasize the need to wear light-colored, lightweight, loose-fitting clothing. You can also add a wide-brimmed hat to prevent direct sun exposure. If these clothes get completely saturated, you should consider changing them. 

It is strongly recommended to use clothes made from cotton or other natural fabrics while working in hot climates. You can also take several cooling cloths with you and use them or a cool washcloth or ice pack behind your neck to maintain your body temperature. You can also store these cooling cloths in a cooler or icebox when not in use. 

Wearing clothing with Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) to prevent the adverse effects of UVA and UVB rays and applying sun protection factor (SPF) to protect skin from exposure to UVB rays are important heat safety tips for construction workers.

Choose Early Mornings and Evenings to Complete Outdoor Work

Scheduling your work activities in the early morning and evenings helps avoid working during the time of the day when the heat is at its peak. Workers should also try discussing this tip with their employers to bring to their notice a need for change in the work schedule during the hot weather.

Apply Sunscreen to Protect Your Skin

Apply sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) to visible skin, including on your face, neck, ears, and arms, to protect the skin from ultraviolet rays. Read the sunscreen label to learn how often you have to reapply it for the best sun protection. Safety tips for working in the heat also include using a sunscreen lotion or cream with an SPF of 30 or above, as per the recommendations of the Skin Cancer Foundation if you are working in the sun for long hours.

Monitor the Weather

Review weather reports and refer to the heat index to prepare for working in the heat. Those working in humid climates should also pay attention to the humidity levels at a given time of the day. Learning the weather conditions can help you take precautions like taking adequate breaks, wearing the right clothes, and working when the temperature is low. 

Monitoring the temperature also helps you plan your breaks and time outside accordingly. Further, employers can use the Heat Safety App by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and OSHA to calculate the heat index of the worksite to analyze the risk levels to their employees and take necessary precautions.

Safety Tips for Working in the Heat: The Role of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in Heat Safety

Normal PPE can increase the body's heat load and worsen heat-related illnesses by trapping heat. Hence, it is strongly advisable to prevent working in a hot environment alone while you are wearing PPE. However, there are special wearable PPEs that can protect workers from heat exposure. These PPEs are called personal cooling systems or auxiliary cooling systems. 

This protective equipment includes air-cooled garments, water-cooled garments, wetted overgarments, and cooling vests. The other PPE for heat protection include:

• Reflective clothing

• Infrared-reflecting face shields 

• Cooling neck wraps

• CSA-certified safety glasses 

• CSA-certified face shield

• Appropriate gloves

• Protective clothing that has heat resistance

 

Also read: Top 10 PPE Suppliers in Uae the Leaders of Safety Equipment

How Border PPE Supports Heat Safety for Workers

Border PPE Trading LLC Dubai is an internationally recognized brand that offers high-quality safety aids with a specialization in the construction sector. Our safety aids include equipment like helmets, gloves, shoes, fire protection, vests, traffic safety equipment, glasses, and more. 

We offer products that are specially designed for protection from fire and heat which include the Noburn coverall which is made completely from cotton flame retardant fabric, inherent flame retardant coverall, Firexe work suit, Firexe coverall, and several fire blanket rolls.

Safety Tips for Working in the Heat: Conclusion

The hot weather tips for workers we discussed above will be the most helpful when they are incorporated into the safety culture of your organization and practiced consistently. Once you include a new safety procedure, you should give training to the entire workforce to comply with it. 

Further taking regular feedback about the procedures from your employees would help to clear any confusion and to make sure that your workers understand the importance of these procedures. Finally, these safety tips for working in the heat would not only protect your employees but would also avoid hindrances to your operations.