by Brianna Crandall — May 11, 2011—The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched a national campaign to educate workers and their employers about the hazards of working outdoors in the heat, and steps needed to prevent heat-related illnesses.
The campaign, based on California OSHA’s successful outreach campaign on heat illness, focuses on “water, rest and shade.” It stresses drinking water often, taking breaks, and limiting time in the heat as simple, effective ways to prevent heat illness.
Each year, thousands of outdoor workers experience heat illness, which often manifests as heat exhaustion and can become heat stroke, which killed more than 30 workers in 2010. Heat can be a real danger for workers in jobs ranging from agriculture and landscaping to construction, road repair, airport baggage handling and even car sales, notes OSHA.
OSHA has developed heat illness educational materials in English and Spanish, as well as a curriculum to be used for workplace training. Additionally, a new Web page provides information and resources on heat illness—including how to prevent it and what to do in case of an emergency—for workers and employers.
OSHA is also partnering with NOAA on weather service alerts that will incorporate worker safety precautions when heat alerts are issued across the U.S. NOAA also will include pertinent worker safety information on its Heat Watch Web page.
