MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2015
WASHINGTON--Common sense is still failing to protect dozens of workers from dying and thousands from falling ill as summer's heat clamps down, federal officials say.
Thus, the need for an annual campaign—this year featuring warnings, materials in two languages, and a newly updated phone app—to protect painters, inspectors, construction workers and others from the risks of working in excessive heat, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced.
OSHA and the National Weather Service are teaming up for the fifth year to protect workers who labor in excessive heat.
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Preventing heat illness and death requires water, shade, rest and acclimatization—common-sense measures that some employers still ignore, according to OSHA. |
Dozens of workers die and thousands fall ill each year from working in the heat, federal officials say. About one-third of heat-related worker deaths occur in the construction industry.
The App
This summer's federal heat-safety campaign includes new updates to OSHA's Heat Safety Tool phone app, available for both Android and iPhone.
The app, released this month, allows workers and supervisors to calculate the heat index at their worksite and, based on the heat index, see the risk level to outdoor workers.
The app also includes measures to prevent heat illness and has been updated with full-screen color alerts, improved navigation and accessbility options, OSHA said. Almost 200,000 people have downloaded the app so far.
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OSHA's new Heat Tool app, updated and re-released this month, allows workers and supervisors to calculate the heat index at their worksite and, based on the heat index, see the risk level to outdoor workers. Nearly 200,000 users have downloaded the app. |
Heat illness is easily prevented with water, rest and shade, officials note. But frequently, they say, these common-sense measures are ignored, especially when an employee is new and has not had time to acclimatize to the work conditions.
More information, including heat illness educational materials in English or Spanish, is available on OSHA's Heat Illness Prevention page.
For its part, the National Weather Service will be incorporating worker safety messages into its forecast. The NWS also assisted in developing and updating the app. The Weather Service also offers a wealth of heat resources and information on its Heat Safety page.
Mapping Heat Deaths
A Heat Fatalities Map developed by OSHA offers a partial look at the heat's toll on workers.
The victims include:
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A partial Heat Fatality Map maintained by OSHA offers a snapshot of workers who succumbed to excessive heat.   |
In a media conference call June 10, OSHA Administrator David Michaels also told the story of Avery Haas, 41, who died after a four-hour stint reroofing an apartment complex near Urbana, IL. Although the ambient temperature was no more than 90 degrees, the heat index on the roof was 105, Michaels said.
Haas' employer, whom Michaels did not identify, "did not have an adequate heat illness prevention program," said Michaels.
"And that employer did not ensure that workers were getting enough water, rest, and shade. And that employer didn't train them in the prevention of heat illness."
Tagged categories: Fatalities; Health & Safety; Health and safety; OSHA; Regulations; Technology; Worker training
