Terrry Houlihan, managing director of Australian Heat Control Industries speaks about the dangers, causes and methods of dealing with the heat on the modern industrial workforce.
Heat stress management is increasingly becoming a more important issue in many industrial workplaces. Not only are the effects of heat stress a risk to the health and well-being of the employee, it can be a contributing factor to increased accidents and lower productivity in the workplace.
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These days, successful industries work stringently to stay OSHA compliant, and the majority of companies have effective safety programs in place that have proven to be beneficial to both the company and their employees. For the most part, these companies have succeeded in taking a stand to reduce overall lost time accidents and improve worker safety conditions. But, sometimes even the most effective safety program will overlook critical areas such how to handle seasonal issues such as heat stress. Many safety concerns workers face will occur due to heat stress or worker fatigue, two factors commonly seen throughout industry, especially this time of year.
Even the most effective safety program may overlook how to handle the seasonal concern of heat stress. Typically, employees with occupations that routinely place them in hot environments find themselves subject to heat stress problems more often than those with less severe duties. In environments where an employee is continually subjected to extreme temperatures, he is more likely to experience a reduction in work performance or encounter bodily reactions related to heat stress.