How Can I Reduce the Risks of Heat Stress?

Firstly, you will need to talk to the workers involved (and their safety representatives), to see whether they are suffering early signs of heat stress. If it seems likely that there is a problem, you may need to consult with people who are more experienced in determining the risk from hot environments, e.g. occupational hygienists, nurses or doctors.

How can I reduce the risks of heat stress?

• Remove or reduce the sources of heat where possible
• Control the temperature using engineering solutions, e.g. change the process
• Use fans or air conditioning
• Use physical barriers that reduce exposure to radiant heat.
• Provide mechanical aids where possible to reduce the work rate.
• Regulate the length of exposure to hot environments by: allowing workers to enter only when the temperature is below a set level or at cooler times of the day, issuing permits to work that specially how long your workers should work in situations where there is a risk, providing periodic rest breaks and rest facilities in cooler conditions.
• Prevent dehydration. Working in a hot environment causes sweating which help keep people cool but means losing vital water that must be replaced. Provide cool water in the workplace and encourage workers to drink it frequently in small amounts before, during (this is not possible in some situations e.g. respiratory protective equipment use or asbestos removal) and after working.
• Provide personal protective equipment. Specialized personal protective clothing is available which incorporates, for example, personal cooling systems or breathable fabrics. This may help protect workers in certain hot environments. Protective clothing or respiratory protective equipment is often required when there will be exposure to some other hazard at work e.g. asbestos. This type of equipment, while protecting from the other hazard, may increase the risk of heat stress.
• Provide training for your workers, especially new and young employees, telling them about the risks of heat stress associated with their work, what symptoms to look out for, safe working practices and emergency procedures.
• Allow workers to acclimatize to their environment and identify which workers are acclimatized/assessed as fit to work in hot conditions.
• Identify employees who are more susceptible to heat stress either because of an illness/condition or medication that may encourage the early onset of heat stress, e.g. pregnant women or those with heart conditions.
• Advice may be needed from an occupational health professional or medical practitioner.
• Monitor the health of workers at risk. Where it is  considered that a residual risk remains after implementing as many control measures as practicable, you may need to monitor the health of workers exposed to the risk. You should then seek advice from occupational health professional with a good working knowledge of the risks associated with working in heat stress situations.