Cold stress, or hypothermia, can affect workers not protected against it. When the body cannot maintain its warmth, serious cold-related illnesses and injuries can occur. This may lead to permanent tissue damage or even death. It is natural for your body to try to maintain its core temperature (chest and...
Prolonged exposure to cold and/or freezing temperatures while on the job may cause serious health problems such as trench foot, frostbite and hypothermia. In extreme cases, exposure to cold temperatures can lead to death. Cold-stress Controls: Employees must recognize the early stages of cold stress in themselves and others. The...
Heat Stress Causes Body Reactions Four environmental factors affect the amount of stress a worker faces in a hot work area: temperature, humidity, radiant heat (such as from the sun or a furnace) and air velocity. Perhaps most important to the level of stress an individual faces are personal characteristics...
Heat Stress Causes Body Reactions Awareness of heat illness symptoms can save your life or the life of a co-worker. Personal factors that may contribute to heat illness, or make you more susceptible, include age, weight, level of fitness, medical condition, use of medications and alcohol. Sweating is a...
Heat Stress As spring turns into summer and brings up “hot weather,” we should all be aware of some tips to prevent heat stress. Remember physical activity at high temperatures can directly affect health and indirectly be the cause of accidents. Hot conditions put your body under a lot of...
Heat Stress Hot conditions put your body under a lot of stress. Physical activity stresses the body even more. When heat is combined with physical activity, loss of fluids, fatigue, and other conditions can lead to a number of heat-related illnesses and injuries. Death is even possible. When the body...
Heat Safety As spring turns into summer and brings “hot weather,” we should all be aware of some tips to prevent heat stress. Remember physical activity at high temperatures can directly affect health and indirectly be the cause of accidents. Hot conditions put your body under a lot of stress....
Heat Safety As spring turns into summer and brings “hot weather,” we should all be aware of some tips to prevent heat stress. Sweating is a means the body uses to maintain a stable internal body temperature in the face of heat. However, sweating is effective only if the humidity...
Heat is Coming One of the most significant hazards that summer brings is heat illness. Although there may not have been very many truly hot and humid days yet this year, now is the time we need to talk about heat illness. Quite honestly, your body is probably not yet...
Hot and Hazardous You’re saying to yourself that you have heard all about heat stress before and nothing has changed. But yes, some things have changed. You are older and more susceptible to heat stress. Your crew may have new members who have never heard about heat stress. Your crew...