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Some jobs require employees to work in very hot or cold conditions. Both temperature extremes can lead to serious injury or illness, or even death. Employers are required to make their employees’ job duties and environment as free of hazards as possible, and this includes hazards related to both heat and cold exposure.
Some jobs require employees to work in very hot or cold conditions. Both temperature extremes can lead to serious injury or illness, or even death. Employers are required to make their employees’ job duties and environment as free of hazards as possible, and this includes hazards related to both heat and cold exposure.
Heat stress can occur in both indoor and outdoor work settings. Indoor operations involving high air temperatures, radiant heat sources, heavy lifting and other strenuous physical activities, and direct physical contact with hot objects increase the potential for heat stress. Outdoor work during the hot summer months, especially activities that require workers to wear semipermeable or impermeable protective clothing, also increases the likelihood of heat stress.
What’s the standard number?
Heat exposure is covered under the Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) Act of 1970, Section 5(a)(1), known as the General Duty Clause. This requires employers to provide all of their employees with work and a workplace that are free from recognized hazards that are likely to cause death or serious harm.
Who must comply?
All employers with employees exposed to hot work environments must take steps to mitigate heat-related illness due to heat stress. The term heat stress is used to describe a number of heat-related illnesses that occur when the body is not able to maintain a normal temperature. Heat-related disorders include heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, and heat rashes.
Key definitions
Employers are responsible for providing the necessary equipment, supplies, conditions, and information to protect their workers from heat stress.
Protecting indoor workers from heat stress
Protecting outdoor workers from heat stress
Outdoor workers are at an increased risk of experiencing heat-related illnesses during the hot summer months, when sweating alone may not be enough to cool the body. To prevent heat-related illnesses and fatalities, employers should remind employees to:
Monitoring workers for signs of heat stress
To monitor workers, employers can measure:
Training
Although the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) doesn’t require training specific to heat stress by standard, employers must teach workers to recognize the signs of heat stress in themselves and their coworkers if they are exposed to extreme heat on the job.
Training should cover the following types of heat-related conditions:
Training should also give workers the knowledge to do the following:
Heat-related illness is a serious hazard employees face while working in hot environments without protection from the elements. In addition, environmental and health factors also increase the employee risk of experiencing heat stress.
Heat-related illness
Environmental risk factors
These environmental factors increase the employee risk of heat-related illness:
Health risk factors
These factors influence the employee risk of heat-related illness:
Sometimes workers are required to wear heavy clothing to protect against contact with hot materials or surfaces. Or they must wear impermeable chemical protective clothing, which can contribute to their exposure to heat.
There are specialized types of personal protective equipment (PPE) that can be worn under other types of protective clothing to cool workers. Ice vests have many pockets where ice packets can be inserted. Water-cooled garments have a battery-driven pump that circulates coolant through chambers in the clothing. Another system uses an air supply to circulate air around workers in impermeable suits.
Work practices to help control heat hazards
A more common technique that might be considered PPE is to wear wet clothing, headbands, or bandanas. This could also be considered a type of work practice control.
Other work practices that help control exposure to the heat include:
Anyone working in a cold environment may be at risk of cold stress. Some workers may be required to work outdoors in cold environments and for extended periods — for example, snow cleanup crews, sanitation workers, police officers and emergency response and recovery personnel (like firefighters), and emergency medical technicians. Cold stress can be encountered in these types of work environments.
What constitutes extreme cold and its effects can vary across different areas of the country. In regions that are not used to winter weather, near-freezing temperatures are considered “extreme cold.” A cold environment forces the body to work harder to maintain its temperature. Whenever temperatures drop below normal and wind speed increases, heat can leave the body more rapidly.
What’s the standard number?
Cold exposure is covered under the Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) Act of 1970, Section 5(a)(1), known as the General Duty Clause. This requires employers to provide all of their employees with work and a workplace that are free from recognized hazards that are likely to cause death or serious harm.
Who must comply?
Although the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) does not have a specific standard that covers working in cold environments, employers have a responsibility to provide workers with employment and a workplace that are free from recognized hazards, including cold stress, that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to them (Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970). Employers should, therefore, train workers on the hazards of the job and safety measures to use, such as engineering controls and safe work practices, that will protect workers’ safety and health.
Key definitions
Employers should:
Training
Employers are also responsible for training workers in preventing, recognizing, and responding to cold stress. At a minimum, this training should include:
Serious cold-related illnesses and injuries may occur and permanent tissue damage and death may result if employees stay in cold environments for too long. Cold-related illnesses can slowly overcome an employee who has been chilled by low temperatures, brisk winds, or wet clothing. The biggest risks employees face are frostbite and hypothermia. In addition, employee health can increase chances of cold stress while on the job.
Frostbite
Frostbite usually affects the fingers, hands, toes, feet, ears, and nose.
What can happen to the body?
Hypothermia
Hypothermia occurs when the normal body temperature (98.6 degrees F) drops to or below 95 degrees F.
What can happen to the body?
The role of employee health
Employees are at an increased risk to cold stress if they:
Employers are responsible for protecting employees from cold-related illnesses and injuries. If these do occur, employers should be prepared to respond to them quickly.
Things employers can do to protect employees from cold-related illnesses and injuries:
Things employers can do to treat frostbite and other cold-related illnesses:
Heat stress can occur in both indoor and outdoor work settings. Indoor operations involving high air temperatures, radiant heat sources, heavy lifting and other strenuous physical activities, and direct physical contact with hot objects increase the potential for heat stress. Outdoor work during the hot summer months, especially activities that require workers to wear semipermeable or impermeable protective clothing, also increases the likelihood of heat stress.
What’s the standard number?
Heat exposure is covered under the Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) Act of 1970, Section 5(a)(1), known as the General Duty Clause. This requires employers to provide all of their employees with work and a workplace that are free from recognized hazards that are likely to cause death or serious harm.
Who must comply?
All employers with employees exposed to hot work environments must take steps to mitigate heat-related illness due to heat stress. The term heat stress is used to describe a number of heat-related illnesses that occur when the body is not able to maintain a normal temperature. Heat-related disorders include heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, and heat rashes.
Key definitions
Employers are responsible for providing the necessary equipment, supplies, conditions, and information to protect their workers from heat stress.
Protecting indoor workers from heat stress
Protecting outdoor workers from heat stress
Outdoor workers are at an increased risk of experiencing heat-related illnesses during the hot summer months, when sweating alone may not be enough to cool the body. To prevent heat-related illnesses and fatalities, employers should remind employees to:
Monitoring workers for signs of heat stress
To monitor workers, employers can measure:
Training
Although the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) doesn’t require training specific to heat stress by standard, employers must teach workers to recognize the signs of heat stress in themselves and their coworkers if they are exposed to extreme heat on the job.
Training should cover the following types of heat-related conditions:
Training should also give workers the knowledge to do the following:
Heat-related illness is a serious hazard employees face while working in hot environments without protection from the elements. In addition, environmental and health factors also increase the employee risk of experiencing heat stress.
Heat-related illness
Environmental risk factors
These environmental factors increase the employee risk of heat-related illness:
Health risk factors
These factors influence the employee risk of heat-related illness:
Sometimes workers are required to wear heavy clothing to protect against contact with hot materials or surfaces. Or they must wear impermeable chemical protective clothing, which can contribute to their exposure to heat.
There are specialized types of personal protective equipment (PPE) that can be worn under other types of protective clothing to cool workers. Ice vests have many pockets where ice packets can be inserted. Water-cooled garments have a battery-driven pump that circulates coolant through chambers in the clothing. Another system uses an air supply to circulate air around workers in impermeable suits.
Work practices to help control heat hazards
A more common technique that might be considered PPE is to wear wet clothing, headbands, or bandanas. This could also be considered a type of work practice control.
Other work practices that help control exposure to the heat include:
Employers are responsible for providing the necessary equipment, supplies, conditions, and information to protect their workers from heat stress.
Protecting indoor workers from heat stress
Protecting outdoor workers from heat stress
Outdoor workers are at an increased risk of experiencing heat-related illnesses during the hot summer months, when sweating alone may not be enough to cool the body. To prevent heat-related illnesses and fatalities, employers should remind employees to:
Monitoring workers for signs of heat stress
To monitor workers, employers can measure:
Training
Although the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) doesn’t require training specific to heat stress by standard, employers must teach workers to recognize the signs of heat stress in themselves and their coworkers if they are exposed to extreme heat on the job.
Training should cover the following types of heat-related conditions:
Training should also give workers the knowledge to do the following:
Heat-related illness is a serious hazard employees face while working in hot environments without protection from the elements. In addition, environmental and health factors also increase the employee risk of experiencing heat stress.
Heat-related illness
Environmental risk factors
These environmental factors increase the employee risk of heat-related illness:
Health risk factors
These factors influence the employee risk of heat-related illness:
Sometimes workers are required to wear heavy clothing to protect against contact with hot materials or surfaces. Or they must wear impermeable chemical protective clothing, which can contribute to their exposure to heat.
There are specialized types of personal protective equipment (PPE) that can be worn under other types of protective clothing to cool workers. Ice vests have many pockets where ice packets can be inserted. Water-cooled garments have a battery-driven pump that circulates coolant through chambers in the clothing. Another system uses an air supply to circulate air around workers in impermeable suits.
Work practices to help control heat hazards
A more common technique that might be considered PPE is to wear wet clothing, headbands, or bandanas. This could also be considered a type of work practice control.
Other work practices that help control exposure to the heat include:
Anyone working in a cold environment may be at risk of cold stress. Some workers may be required to work outdoors in cold environments and for extended periods — for example, snow cleanup crews, sanitation workers, police officers and emergency response and recovery personnel (like firefighters), and emergency medical technicians. Cold stress can be encountered in these types of work environments.
What constitutes extreme cold and its effects can vary across different areas of the country. In regions that are not used to winter weather, near-freezing temperatures are considered “extreme cold.” A cold environment forces the body to work harder to maintain its temperature. Whenever temperatures drop below normal and wind speed increases, heat can leave the body more rapidly.
What’s the standard number?
Cold exposure is covered under the Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) Act of 1970, Section 5(a)(1), known as the General Duty Clause. This requires employers to provide all of their employees with work and a workplace that are free from recognized hazards that are likely to cause death or serious harm.
Who must comply?
Although the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) does not have a specific standard that covers working in cold environments, employers have a responsibility to provide workers with employment and a workplace that are free from recognized hazards, including cold stress, that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to them (Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970). Employers should, therefore, train workers on the hazards of the job and safety measures to use, such as engineering controls and safe work practices, that will protect workers’ safety and health.
Key definitions
Employers should:
Training
Employers are also responsible for training workers in preventing, recognizing, and responding to cold stress. At a minimum, this training should include:
Serious cold-related illnesses and injuries may occur and permanent tissue damage and death may result if employees stay in cold environments for too long. Cold-related illnesses can slowly overcome an employee who has been chilled by low temperatures, brisk winds, or wet clothing. The biggest risks employees face are frostbite and hypothermia. In addition, employee health can increase chances of cold stress while on the job.
Frostbite
Frostbite usually affects the fingers, hands, toes, feet, ears, and nose.
What can happen to the body?
Hypothermia
Hypothermia occurs when the normal body temperature (98.6 degrees F) drops to or below 95 degrees F.
What can happen to the body?
The role of employee health
Employees are at an increased risk to cold stress if they:
Employers are responsible for protecting employees from cold-related illnesses and injuries. If these do occur, employers should be prepared to respond to them quickly.
Things employers can do to protect employees from cold-related illnesses and injuries:
Things employers can do to treat frostbite and other cold-related illnesses:
Employers should:
Training
Employers are also responsible for training workers in preventing, recognizing, and responding to cold stress. At a minimum, this training should include:
Serious cold-related illnesses and injuries may occur and permanent tissue damage and death may result if employees stay in cold environments for too long. Cold-related illnesses can slowly overcome an employee who has been chilled by low temperatures, brisk winds, or wet clothing. The biggest risks employees face are frostbite and hypothermia. In addition, employee health can increase chances of cold stress while on the job.
Frostbite
Frostbite usually affects the fingers, hands, toes, feet, ears, and nose.
What can happen to the body?
Hypothermia
Hypothermia occurs when the normal body temperature (98.6 degrees F) drops to or below 95 degrees F.
What can happen to the body?
The role of employee health
Employees are at an increased risk to cold stress if they:
Employers are responsible for protecting employees from cold-related illnesses and injuries. If these do occur, employers should be prepared to respond to them quickly.
Things employers can do to protect employees from cold-related illnesses and injuries:
Things employers can do to treat frostbite and other cold-related illnesses: