When the cold winters fade away and hot summers come, the hazards increase at the heat-related workplace. So, it is important to look at how workplace safety gets affected by summers. Each season brings different safety troubles and if these concerns are not properly addressed, it may lead to injuries, accidents, and illness. To prevent these hazards during the summers, it is recommended to understand and manage the risks. From heat stroke to injuries, you need to take proper actions to prevent workplace accidents. Let’s check some of the common summer safety hazards and the ways to avoid them.
Fatigue
Fatigue is a form of impairment in which the body feels tired. In this situation, the mental and physical functioning gets affected that can lead to slow reaction time, lack of concentration and lower motivation.
Those workers who work in an open environment or near traffic or operate heavy machinery bear the sun rays directly, they can feel fatigued due to excess working in the heat. The symptoms that indicated fatigue are weariness, irritability, headache or lack of appetite. This could happen because:
- Your body is working overtime to keep you cool.
- The body is dehydrated.
- Your body feels chemical changes due to UV rays.
Prevention:
- Employers should provide a shady area where the workers can take rest and can get rid of the direct sunlight.
- While sweating the body loses salt. This is why employees should regularly be provided with water and savory snacks to recharge their bodies.
- Hats are also a good option to keep workers protected from the Sun.
Heat-Related Illness
Heat-related illness leaves a serious impact on the body. The most common heat stresses are heat rashes (small red bumps on the skin) and heat cramps (painful muscle contractions). These occur due to excessive sweating and humid conditions.
Other than these rashes and cramps, workers often feel heat exhaustion. It happens when the body loses too much water and salt due to sweating. This affects those workers who carry out strenuous work in high temperatures and humidity. If heat exhaustion is left untreated, it leads to heat stroke that is the most serious illness among all.
Prevention:
To prevent this situation, employers can:
- Adjust the outdoor working hours.
- Reduce the demands of workers for physical work.
- Provide PPE according to the weather condition.
- Mandate the rest periods.
To handle the same situation, the workers should:
- Wear light-colored clothes.
- Take frequent breaks.
- Monitor themselves and avoid heat stress.
Dehydration
The symptoms of dehydration are thirst, fatigue, dizziness, muscle cramps, excessive sweating, dry skin, and many more. Water regulates our body temperature, carry nutrients to our organs and keeps our bodies functioning optimally. So, it is necessary to keep our bodies hydrated.
Prevention:
- Drink water frequently.
- Avoid Alcoholic, caffeinated, and sugary drinks.
Sun Exposure
Construction workers, gardeners, and some public service workers spend a lot of time outside. The short term effect from sun exposure is sunburning that can range from mild reddening on the skin to more serious burns. In the long term, workers experience wrinkled and leathery skin that may lead to skin cancer.
Prevention:
- Keep yourself covered as much as possible.
- To protect the ears, neck, and back, wear a hat with flap or brim.
Road Construction Work
Summers are suitable for construction work. Those who work on or near busy roadways mostly face traffic hazards that can turn into accidents and injuries. These situations occur due to:
- Crossing busy roadways.
- Moving vehicles inside the work zone
- Low visibility conditions.
- Speeding motorists.
Prevention:
- Use barriers and lower the speed limits.
- Ensure workers are using appropriate PPE while working.
- Get the workers trained in these situations.
It is important to keep the workers safe by identifying and understanding the work hazards. Personal protective equipment is the best solution to it. So, if you are planning to buy these PPE for yourself or for your workers, log on to moglix.com. This online platform offers the best suitable safety equipment at an affordable price.