With the coming summer and the coming heat that always goes with it, we need to starting thinking and preparing for heat-related illnesses and fatalities.

Besides the obvious (like those precautions mentioned in yesterdays blog entry) there is also a lesser known precaution that most of us fail to consider.

In a May 19th post on the OSHA website, Cal/OSHA Chief Len Welsh is quoted:

              “Our studies of heat-related illnesses and deaths indicate that
               acclimatization is an important factor in the prevention of heat
               illness,”

What that means, in a nutshell, is quite simply that workers who are going to be working in extreme heat need to be given time to acclimate to that heat. The Cal/OSHA recommendation is that they be given 4 -14 days to get used to the heat.

During that time “It is imperative to monitor your employees at all times during hot weather and allow those who are new to working in hot weather to gradually adapt to the daily routine,” Welsh said.

The full article is availabe at: http://www.ohsonline.com/articles/62880?recipid%3B=