Be Part of the Ultimate Safety & Compliance Community
Trending news, knowledge-building content, and more – all personalized to you!
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.
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.
Individuals vary in their susceptibility to heat stress. Environmental factors that may increase the risk of experiencing heat stress include:
Personal factors that may contribute to an individual experiencing heat stress include:
All employers must take the necessary steps to mitigate a known hazard. If excessive heat is a recognized hazard, the employer must address it.
Wearing PPE puts workers at hazardous waste sites or responding to emergency situations at greater risk of heat stress. Paragraph 1910.120(g)(5)(x) requires employers to address the potential for heat stress in a written personal protective equipment program which is part of the employer's safety and health program and also part of the site-specific safety and health plan.
Although OSHA does not have a standard that specifically addresses employee exposures to extreme heat, the agency does encourage employers to take steps to prevent heat-related illnesses. OSHA inspectors do conduct heat inspections and do issue General Duty Clause citations when heat hazards are present.
Steps employers should take when employees are exposed to heat include: