Summer and National Safety Month are both here, so it seems fitting to provide construction safety tips about the dangers of overheating.
Heat safety will be a vital part of your construction site safety plan for the next few months. Site managers and construction workers need to be on alert for dehydration and heat stroke, as heat illness can be deadly. Every year, thousands of workers become sick from exposure to heat, some fatally.
Fortunately, there's now an app that can help you prevent heat illness.
Why is Heat Safety Important?
The body normally cools itself by sweating. But during hot weather, especially with high humidity, sweating isn't enough. If you don't drink enough water and occasionally rest in the shade, your body temperature can rise to dangerous levels.
If that happens, you risk suffering from heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
According to OSHA, in 2014 alone, 2,630 workers suffered from heat illness. 18 died from heat stroke or related causes on the job.
But the good news is, with the right construction site safety, heat illnesses and deaths are preventable.
OSHA's Heat Safety Tool
With the new OSHA Heat Safety Tool, you have vital safety information available whenever and wherever you need it - right on your mobile phone.
The app allows supervisors and workers to calculate the heat index for their worksite, and, based on the heat index, displays a risk level to workers.
Then, with a simple "click," you can get reminders about the protective measures that should be taken at that risk level to protect workers from heat-related illness - construction safety tips about drinking enough fluids, scheduling rest breaks, planning for and knowing what to do in an emergency, and adjusting work operations.
The app also offers reminders about gradually building up the workload for new workers, training employees on heat illness signs and symptoms, and monitoring each other for signs and symptoms of heat-related illness.
You can download the Heat Safety Tool App for iPhone or Android here:
iPhone Download |
Android Download |
Summer Construction Site Safety
In addition to the app, here are a few helpful tips from OSHA to keep you safe while working in the heat:
- Drink water every 15 minutes, even if you are not thirsty.
- Rest in the shade to cool down.
- Wear a hat and light-colored clothing.
- Learn the signs of heat illness and what to do in an emergency.
- Keep an eye on fellow workers.
- "Easy does it" on your first days of work in the heat. You need to get used to it.
Construction Safety Tips for Summer and Beyond
June is National Safety Month, so whether you’re working on a jobsite, or just enjoying the warmer weather in your backyard, be safe out there!
Want more safety tips? Download our eBook now:
