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August 2003 — Beat the Heat

As we head into some of the hottest days of the summer, you are encouraged to review with your employees the necessary precautions that should be taken to lessen the chances of heat stress. There is much information published on the topic, but one suggestion for information on the subject is the 15-page booklet, Working in Hot Environments, available free from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Publications, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226; telephone (513) 533-8287, or by download from the NIOSH site at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hotenvt.html.

Each year more people in the U.S. die from extreme heat than from hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes combined. Just in the workplace, in 2001, excessive heat exposure caused 24 worker deaths and 3,135 occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These numbers were up from the previous year, when 21 workers died and 2,254 lost workdays due to heat-related injuries and illnesses. Even with these kinds of numbers, state and federal agencies report that heat-related illnesses are vastly under recognized and underreported.

Important:

This information is offered by the National Welding Supply Association and your local distributor as general guidance only and may not explain all relevant safety precautions or hazards

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