Heat Illness Prevention Training by Stanford University
1. Workplace Heat Illness Prevention
SU Office of Environmental Health & Safety
Occupational Health & Safety Program
x3-0448
6/11
2. Outline
Outline
• Heat illness
– Risk factors
– How the body handles heat
– Types of heat illness
• Prevention of heat illness
• Emergency response procedures
• Supervisor guidelines
3. Cal/OSHA Standard
• 8 CCR 3395- Heat Illness Prevention
• Applies to outdoor places of employment with
heat illness potential
• Requirements
– Heat illness prevention training for supervisors and
employees
– Provision of water
– Access to shade
– Local procedures for heat illness prevention
4. Training
• Prior to work in warm weather, supervisors and
employees shall be trained on the following:
– The department’s heat illness prevention procedures
– Environmental and personal risk factors for heat illness
– The importance of consuming water throughout the
work shift
– The importance of acclimatization
– Common signs/symptoms of heat illness
– The importance of reporting sign/symptoms of heat
illness to the supervisor
– Emergency response procedures
6. Risk Factors for Heat Illness
• Weather conditions
– Temperature
– Humidity
– Air movement
– Radiant heat (ex: sunshine)
– Conductive heat (ex: ground)
• Higher intensity and/or duration of physical activity
• PPE/ clothing can be a factor (i.e., tyvek overalls)
7. Personal Risk Factors
• Poor physical condition*
• Age
• Degree of acclimatization
• Water consumption
• Some medications*
• Alcohol/ drugs
* Recommend checking w/ personal physician about heat illness risk
8. How the Body Handles Heat
• The body tries to keep a constant internal
temperature
• As internal temperature rises from activity,
the body cools itself by:
– Increasing blood flow to skin surface
– Releasing sweat onto skin surface
9. Heat Exhaustion
• Cause:
– Excessive loss of water and salt through sweat
• Signs & Symptoms:
– Headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting
– Weakness and moist skin
– Muscle cramps
– Mood changes such as irritability or confusion
– Upset stomach or vomiting
10. Heat Stroke
• Cause:
– Total breakdown of body’s cooling system
• Signs & Symptoms:
– Sweating stops-- skin is hot, red, and dry
– Mental confusion, losing consciousness
– Fainting
– Seizures or convulsions
Treat as a medical emergency! Can be life
threatening.
11. Emergency Response Procedures
For any of the previously mentioned symptoms:
• Immediately call 911 or 9-911 (from a campus phone) OR transport to
Stanford Hospital Emergency Room
• While waiting for help:
– Move victim to cool area
– Give small cup of water (if conscious and not nauseous)
– Loosen and/or remove clothing
– Fan and mist the person w/ water
– Apply a water-soaked towel (or ice pack wrapped in towel) to head and
ice pack to armpits
• Contact supervisor immediately
• Anyone with symptoms must never be sent home or left unattended
without a medical evaluation
• SUOHC follow-up for employees evaluated for heat illness
13. Access to Water
• Access to sufficient
amounts of cool
drinking water shall be
available at all times.
• Recommend
consuming at least
four cups per hour for
the entire shift.
14. Access to Shade
• A shaded rest area shall be
provided as close as practicable
to the work area.
– Refer to your departments local
procedures for accessing shade
• As needed, take frequent cool-
down breaks in the provided
shade.
16. Work Planning and Supervision
• Assess conditions
– Weather forecasts -
http://nws.noaa.gov
– Current weather -
http://weather.stanford.edu
* Note: high humidity drives up the heat
load
• For warmer periods:
– Schedule outdoor work during cooler
parts of the day
– For most strenuous tasks, plan a staff
rotation
17. Work Planning and Supervision
• Worker acclimatization
– People adapt to outdoor temperature increases
within 4-14 days. To minimize the risk of heat
illness:
• Adjust work schedules and intensities during a two-
week period
• New employees or those returning from extended
leaves – acclimatization is especially important
– May not be adapted to local weather or work intensity
– Be extra vigilant with these employees
18. • For outdoor temperatures ≥85°F, supervisors shall ensure:
– Shade is present for employee rest breaks.
• When a worker has brief periods of outdoor work without nearby shade, the
employee shall be instructed on how he/ she will be able to quickly access
shade as needed for heat illness prevention
• If it is not safe or feasible to provide shade, document why the shade cannot be
provided and what steps will be taken to provide shade upon request or an
alternative cooling measure with equivalent protection.
– Staff are reminded throughout the day to drink plenty of water and to take
cool-down breaks in the shade (when they feel the need to do so)
– Effective means for employees to contact the supervisor and emergency
services
– Regular monitoring of employees for alertness and signs/symptoms of
heat illness
– Close supervision of new employees
Work Planning and Supervision
19. Written Procedures
• The minimal procedures are listed in the SU Heat Illness Prevention guidance.
These steps detail how your personnel will locally:
• Provide supervisor and employee training
• Provide access to water & shade
• Monitor employees and report signs/symptoms of heat illness
• Respond to heat illnesses without delay, provide first aid and emergency services.
• Provide clear and precise directions to the worksite.
• Train all supervisors and employees on these procedures.
• Document training
• Maintain the procedures on-site or close to the site, so that it can be made
available to representatives of Cal/OSHA upon request.
20. Summary of Supervisor
Responsibilities
• Obtain heat illness prevention training
• Be aware of your staff’s heat stress potential
• Develop and train staff on written local heat illness prevention
procedures
• Provide access to water and shade
• Plan and manage work activities accordingly to reduce the risk of heat
stress
• Be able to recognize any warning signs of heat illness
– Promptly respond to symptoms of heat illness!
21. For Additional Information
• Visit the Cal/OSHA Heat Illness websites:
– http://www.dir.ca.gov/DOSH/HeatIllnessInfo.html
– http://www.99calor.org/english.html
22. Thanks for your attention!
Contact EH&S at 723-0448 if you
have any questions.
http://ehs.stanford.edu
http://iipp.stanford.edu
Editor's Notes
More air movement reduces risk when < 95°F, increases risk when > 95°F
Higher intensity and/or duration of physical activity=
physical activity generates additional body heat
Overweight– extra weight requires = more energy spent to work & reduces ability to release heat
Age– sweat gland response decreases w/ age
Alcohol/ some drugs– body dehydrates much quicker
* Recommend consulting with personal physician to check if condition(s) may increase risk for heat illness.
Blood flow can cool internal body temperature, but doesn’t work well when outside air temp is warmer than body
Sweating is next step– but this will not work well w/ high humidity
So, heat illness risk is highest w/ extreme heat & humidity!
Heat exhaustion is caused by the loss of large amounts of fluid through sweating, often accompanied by excessive loss of salt.
Unlike heat stroke, someone suffering from heat exhaustion still is sweating heavily. Skin will be pale and cool.
The symptoms of heat exhaustion may resemble some of the early signs of heat stroke.
Heat stroke is the most serious of the heat stress disorders. Is a total breakdown of your body’s cooling system.
Pumping blood to the skin surface and sweating becomes inadequate and your body temperature rises to potentially fatal levels.
Remember, early recognition of heat stroke is the only means to prevent death.
Until help arrives, provide the first aid described.
