{"id":9476,"date":"2017-07-11T09:00:42","date_gmt":"2017-07-11T14:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/?p=9476"},"modified":"2023-11-14T21:15:49","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T03:15:49","slug":"protecting-workers-heat-silent-killer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/material-handling\/protecting-workers-heat-silent-killer\/","title":{"rendered":"Protecting Workers from Heat, the Silent Killer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Heat is one of the deadliest risks in any workplace. Whether it is working near red-hot smelting ovens in a steelmaking facility or laboring under direct sunlight outdoors, the risk to workers from heat is one of the most common dangers, causing more deaths than any other weather-related hazard.<\/p>\n<p>Each year, more than 65,000 people require medical attention as a result of exposure to heat. Heat-related illnesses can come on fast and can cause permanent damage.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dangers of Heatstroke<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/heat-stroke\/basics\/definition\/con-20032814\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Heatstroke<\/a> occurs when people&#8217;s bodies become so hot that their brain literally begins to overheat, cutting off oxygen and threatening essential body functions such as heartbeat and breathing.<\/p>\n<p>The condition occurs when the body temperature rises to 104 degrees F or higher. Someone suffering from heatstroke requires immediate and urgent emergency care. The brain, heart, kidneys, and muscles can suffer permanent damage in just a few minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Heatstroke is caused by overexertion in a hot environment. This can lead to a sudden increase in body temperature. Classic heatstroke after overexposure to hot conditions for a period of time, usually two or three days. Older adults and people with chronic illnesses are more susceptible to heatstroke than healthy younger adults.<\/p>\n<p>Wearing too many clothes in hot weather can increase the risk of heatstroke because they prevent sweat from evaporating easily and cooling the body naturally.<\/p>\n<p>Drinking alcohol in the hot sun or not drinking enough water also can make a person more likely to suffer from heatstroke.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to Recognize Heatstroke<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Symptoms of heatstroke include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>High body temperature<\/li>\n<li>Confusion, agitation, slurred speech, delirium, seizures, and coma<\/li>\n<li>Alternately sweats and chills<\/li>\n<li>Nausea and vomiting<\/li>\n<li>Flushed skin<\/li>\n<li>Heavy, rapid breathing<\/li>\n<li>Racing pulse rate<\/li>\n<li>Headache<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you notice any of these symptoms yourself or on somebody else, call 9-1-1 immediately.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Treatment for Heatstroke<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While waiting for paramedics to arrive, you can treat the overheated person and possibly save their life by getting them into the shade or into an air-conditioned building, removing any excess clothing, and cooling the victim down by any means necessary.<\/p>\n<p>This can include plunging their body into a pool of ice water, throwing them into a cold shower, or even spraying them down with a garden hose. You also can fan them while misting them with cool water, and apply ice packs or cold, wet towels to their head, neck, armpits, and groin areas.<\/p>\n<p>The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently developed a free app for smartphones and tablets that keep users advised of the risk of dangerous heat. It can be downloaded <a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/app\/osha-niosh-heat-safety-tool\/id1239425102?mt=8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here for iPhone<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=erg.com.nioshheatindex\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here for Android<\/a> phones.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Heat is one of the deadliest risks in any workplace. Whether it is working near red-hot smelting ovens in a steelmaking facility or laboring under direct sunlight outdoors, the risk to workers from heat is one of the most common dangers, causing more deaths than any other weather-related hazard. Each year, more than 65,000 people &#8230; <a title=\"Protecting Workers from Heat, the Silent Killer\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/material-handling\/protecting-workers-heat-silent-killer\/\" aria-label=\"More on Protecting Workers from Heat, the Silent Killer\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,293],"tags":[976,1079],"class_list":["post-9476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-material-handling","category-news","tag-featured","tag-material-handling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9476"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9476\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11928,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9476\/revisions\/11928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}