Is the summer heat getting to your employees? There is an App for that....
By: Kristen McGullion, Senior HR Generalist/Shared Services Manager
August 30, 2011
All summer the temperatures have been almost unbearable for all of us. I could not imagine having a job that requires me to be in this heat all day while performing strenuous activities. How do we as employers know if the temperature outside is too dangerous for our employees be to be working in? Well....there is a mobile app for this now that has been introduced by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The app combines the heat index data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with where the user is located to determine what protective measures employers should take. The app is only available for Android devices right now, but it is available in an English and Spanish version. The app will make recommendations on relief measures, signs of symptoms for heat illness, and it will provide you with first aid tips. The app will also provide employers with ways to acclimate employees to working in the extreme heat. To download the app you can go to http://go.usa.gov/KFE.
OSHA has reported that more than 30 people died of heat stroke in 2010. Thousands of employees who work outside suffer from heat exhaustion each year. The most common industries that experience their employees suffering from heat related illnesses are construction workers, farm workers, roofers, landscapers, baggage handlers and other air transportation workers.
As an employer it is your responsibility to do everything you can to protect your employees from heat related illnesses. Employers are expected to provide employees with plenty of water, schedule rest breaks out of the sun, try to plan heavy work for early in the morning when it is not so hot, be prepared for any medical emergency, training employees about heat and other job hazards, taking steps to help workers acclimate to the heat, and increasing workloads gradually or allowing more frequent breaks during the first week of an outdoor project, according to an OSHA news release.