East Cumberland Lodge
NS Dept. of Health & Wellness
TITLE
POLICY#
PROCEDURE #
Heat Stress
OHS – P0013
Heat Stress
POLICY: HEAT STRESS
In promoting a healthy workplace and complying with legislation, East Cumberland Lodge (ECL)
recognizes the need for guidance surrounding heat stress management. All employees and volunteers
will be required to review the following documentation and to be personally diligent in maintaining the
health of themselves, co-workers, volunteers, and residents.
CAUSAL FACTORS
1.
Age, weight, degree of physical fitness, degree of acclimatization, metabolism, use of alcohol or
drugs, and a variety of medical conditions such as hypertension all affect a person's sensitivity to
heat. However, even the type of clothing worn must be considered. Prior heat injury predisposes an
individual to additional injury.
2.
It is difficult to predict just who will be affected and when, because individual susceptibility varies. In
addition, environmental factors include more than the ambient air temperature. Radiant heat, air
movement, conduction, and relative humidity all affect an individual's response to heat.
DEFINITIONS
Acclimatized Employee: an employee is considered to be acclimatized if they have been exposed for a
period of 5 of the last 7 days to heat–stress conditions that are similar to those expected for the work.
When the exposure is discontinued, the employee’s acclimatization begins to decline with a noticeable
loss within 4 days
Employee: any employee, physician, other practitioner, volunteer, student, contractor, or associate of
Capital Health or an employee of a Capital Health Foundation
Heat Stress: the net heat load to which a worker can be exposed from the combination of workload,
environmental factors (air temperature, humidity, radiant heat and air movement) and clothing
requirements
Heat Strain: overall physiological response to heat stress, for the dissipation of excess heat from the
body
Humidex: a value combining the air temperature and the relative humidity into one number, used to
indicate how hot weather feels to the average person.
Percent Relative Humidity (%R.H.): the moisture content of air expressed as a percentage of the
maximum it can hold at a given temperature; the optimum %RH is 30 to 60%
Heat Stress Management 2012-01-23
Original Date: July 25, 2000; updated January 23, 2012
Page 1 of 7
East Cumberland Lodge
NS Dept. of Health & Wellness
TITLE
POLICY#
PROCEDURE #
Heat Stress
OHS – P0013
Heat Stress
HEAT RELATED CONDITIONS
Heat Rash
Signs & Symptoms:
Red, bumpy rash with severe itching.
Cause:
Hot humid environment; plugged sweat glands.
Treatment:
Change into dry clothes and avoid hot environments. Rinse skin with cool water
Prevention:
Wash regularly to keep skin clean and dry.
Heat Cramps
Signs & Symptoms:
Painful cramps in arms legs or stomach that occur suddenly at work or later at
home. Cramps are serious because they can be a symptom of more dangerous
heat-induced illnesses.
Cause:
Heavy sweating drains a person’s body of salt, which cannot be replaced just by
drinking water.
Treatment:
Move to a cool area; loosen clothing and drink cool salted water* (1 tsp. salt per
gallon of water) or commercial fluid replacement beverage. Do not take salt
tablets. If the cramps are severe or don’t go away, see a doctor.
Prevention:
Reduce activity levels and/or heat exposure. Drink fluids regularly. Workers
should check on each other to help spot the symptoms that often precede heat
stroke.
Fainting
Signs & Symptoms:
Sudden passing out after at least two hours of work; cool moist skin; weak
pulse.
Cause:
Not enough blood flowing to the brain. Fluid loss and inadequate water intake.
Treatment:
Fainting may be due to a heart attack or other illness. GET MEDICAL AID. Assess
need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Move to a cool area; loosen
clothing; make person lie down; if the person is conscious, offer sips of cool
water.
Prevention:
Reduce activity levels and/or heat exposure. Drink fluids regularly. Workers
should check on each other to help spot the symptoms that often precede heat
stroke.
Heat Stress Management 2012-01-23
Original Date: July 25, 2000; updated January 23, 2012
Page 2 of 7
East Cumberland Lodge
NS Dept. of Health & Wellness
Heat Exhaustion
Signs & Symptoms:
TITLE
POLICY#
PROCEDURE #
Heat Stress
OHS – P0013
Heat Stress
Heavy sweating; cool moist skin; body temperature over 38°Celsius (100°
Farenheit); weak pulse; normal or low blood pressure; person is tired, weak,
clumsy, upset or confused; is very thirsty; or is panting or breathing rapidly;
vision may be blurred.
Cause:
Inadequate salt and water intake causes a person’s body’s cooling system to
start to break down.
Treatment:
GET MEDICAL AID. This condition can lead to heat stroke, which can kill. Move
the person to a cool shaded area; loosen or remove excess clothing; provide
cool water to drink (salted if possible); fan and spray with cool water.
Prevention:
Reduce activity levels and/or heat exposure. Drink fluids regularly. Workers
should check on each other help spot the symptoms that often precede heat
stroke.
Heat Stroke
Signs & Symptoms:
High body temperature (over 41°Celsius (106° Farenheit) and any one of the
following: the person is weak, confused, upset or acting strangely; has hot, dry,
red skin; a fast pulse; a headache or dizziness. In later stages, a person may pass
out and have convulsions.
Cause:
When a person’s body has used up all its water and salt; it will stop sweating.
This can cause body temperature to rise to a deadly level. May follow heat
exhaustion or develop suddenly.
Treatment:
CALL AMBULANCE. This condition can kill a person quickly. Remove excess
clothing, fan and spray the person with cool water; offer sips of cool water if the
person is conscious.
Prevention:
Reduce activity levels and/or heat exposure. Drink fluids regularly. Workers
should check on each other help spot the symptoms that often precede heat
stroke.
Sunburn
Signs & Symptoms:
Red, painful or blistering and peeling skin.
Cause:
Too much sun exposure.
Treatment:
If blisters appear on the skin seek medical attention. Use skin lotion (avoid
topical anaesthetics) and work in the shade.
Prevention:
Work in the shade; cover skin with clothing; apply sunscreen with a sun
protection factor (SPF) of at least 15.
Heat Stress Management 2012-01-23
Original Date: July 25, 2000; updated January 23, 2012
Page 3 of 7
East Cumberland Lodge
NS Dept. of Health & Wellness
TITLE
POLICY#
PROCEDURE #
Heat Stress
OHS – P0013
Heat Stress
Modifying Work and the Environment
There are three main ways to control heat stress: engineering controls, administrative controls and
personal protective equipment.
Engineering Controls
· Use insulating and reflective barriers to control heat at the source (e.g., insulate furnace walls,
tint windows, etc.)
·
Where possible exhaust hot air and steam produced by specific operations.
·
Where appropriate windows are left open.
·
Reduce the temperature and humidity through air cooling.
·
Provide air-conditioned rest areas (main dining room, staff break room, RN Supervisor offices).
·
Increase air movement by providing fans for spot cooling (Important Note: If the air temperature
is above 35° Celsius (95° Farenheit), improving air movement may increase a workers risk of heat
stress. When the air temperature exceeds 35° Celsius, air movement can decrease our body’s
natural cooling mechanisms and this may increase the heat load on the body through convective
heating. Refer to the PPE section for additional information).
·
Reduce the physical demands of work tasks with mechanical devices (e.g., use hoists, lift-tables,
etc).
Administrative Controls
· Assess the demands of all jobs and have monitoring and control strategies in place for hot days.
·
Increase the frequency and length of rest breaks.
·
Schedule hot jobs to cooler times of the day.
·
Caution workers to avoid direct sunlight when outdoors
·
Provide cool drinking water near workers and remind them to drink a cup every 20 minutes or
so.
·
Develop a hot weather plan to alert workers about environmental triggers such as a heat waves
or the Humidex reaching or exceeding 35° Celsius.
·
Assign extra workers or slow down the work pace.
·
Make sure workers are properly acclimatized.
·
Disposable dishes may be used when required to suit the environment and frozen foods can be
used to limit the use of ovens.
Heat Stress Management 2012-01-23
Original Date: July 25, 2000; updated January 23, 2012
Page 4 of 7
East Cumberland Lodge
NS Dept. of Health & Wellness
TITLE
POLICY#
PROCEDURE #
Heat Stress
OHS – P0013
Heat Stress
·
Train workers to recognize the signs and symptoms of heat-related conditions. (Use the chart on
the next page to help.) Also, start a “buddy system” as people are not likely to notice their own
symptoms.
·
Pregnant workers and workers with medical conditions should discuss working in the heat with
their doctor.
·
Availability of drinking water and encouragement to remain hydrated.
Personal Protective Equipment
· Wear light, summer clothing (where suitable) to allow air to flow freely and sweat to evaporate.
When the air temperature exceeds 35° Celsius, wearing a layer of light loose fitting clothes
made of breathable fabric can reduce the risk of heat stress caused by conductive heating.
·
Reflective clothing can vary from aprons and jackets to suits that completely enclose the worker
from neck to feet, can stop the skin from absorbing radiant heat. However, since most reflective
clothing does not allow air exchange through the garment, the reduction of radiant heat must
more than offset the corresponding loss in evaporative cooling. For this reason, reflective
clothing should be worn as loosely as possible. In situations where radiant heat is high, auxiliary
cooling systems can be used under the reflective clothing.
·
If working outside, cover up with light-coloured clothing, hat, sunglasses and sunscreen with a
sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15.
·
When there is an inside radiant heat source wear reflective clothing.
·
For very hot environments, consider air, water or ice cooled insulated clothing.
·
Vapour barrier clothing, such as acid suits, greatly increases the amount of heat stress on the
body. Extra caution is needed.
Outdoor work
Generally, workers involved in outdoor work are at greater risk from adverse climatic conditions. The
‘trigger temperature’ for remedial action for outdoor work recommended is 30 degrees Celsius. If
temperatures reach, and are sustained at this level for 2 hours, or more, the following procedures are
recommended to be followed.
·
·
·
·
30 - 32 degrees Celsius: 10 minute break per hour from outside work.
32 - 35 degrees Celsius: 15 minute break per hour from outside work
35 - 36 degrees Celsius: 30 minute break per hour from outside work.
37 degrees Celsius, plus: cease outside work until a sustained temperature decrease.
The above temperature/ rest formula applies to light, or very moderate physical activity. If the work
involves any type of heavy work and/or rapid physical activity, the rest ratio in the formula must be
increased by a minimum of 50% for each temperature range.
Heat Stress Management 2012-01-23
Original Date: July 25, 2000; updated January 23, 2012
Page 5 of 7
East Cumberland Lodge
NS Dept. of Health & Wellness
TITLE
POLICY#
PROCEDURE #
Heat Stress
OHS – P0013
Heat Stress
In these conditions, the following provisions should also apply for workers who are carrying out outdoor
tasks in the above temperatures:
•
Rotation of tasks to minimise periods of prolonged physical activity.
• Rescheduling harder physical tasks, and/or tasks involving the use of PPE, to cooler periods of
the day.
•
Provision of iced water, and where necessary liquid electrolyte replacement.
• Provision of an air conditioned lunch, or rest room for scheduled work breaks where
temperatures below 25 degrees Celsius can be maintained.
• Provision of a First Aid kit, with appropriate instructions and treatment for heat related
illness.(First Aid staff should be given appropriate training in providing initial treatment for heat
stress conditions.)
• Provision of suitable lightweight radiant heat reflective clothing, headwear, UV radiation skin
protection, and sunglasses.
Indoor Work
Indoor work can be sub-divided into Indoor Work (non-air conditioned) and Indoor Work (air
conditioned). Indoor Work (non-air conditioned) includes work which is carried out outside an office or
workshop environment, involving the use of motor vehicles and other forms of plant or equipment.
Indoor work (non-air conditioned)
The most effective temperature range for indoor work during summer months, where air conditioning is
not provided is 21-24 degrees Celsius.
The recommended ‘trigger temperature’ for remedial action for this type of indoor work is 26 degrees
Celsius. However, other factors need to be considered in this type of working environment, which may
affect an individual workers health, such as humidity, ventilation, air movement, and air quality. These
factors cannot be overlooked when conducting a risk assessment of these conditions.
In temperatures of 26-30 degrees Celsius, to maintain comfortable working conditions, the following
procedures should be followed:
• Provision of sufficient fans to provide adequate ventilation and air movement in the working
environment. This may mean provision of individual fans to workers.
•
Provision of, or access to, an air conditioned first aid room (RN Station).
• Provision, or access to, an air conditioned lunch room (lower level staff room or main dining
hall).
Heat Stress Management 2012-01-23
Original Date: July 25, 2000; updated January 23, 2012
Page 6 of 7
East Cumberland Lodge
NS Dept. of Health & Wellness
TITLE
POLICY#
PROCEDURE #
Heat Stress
OHS – P0013
Heat Stress
For temperatures over and above 30 degrees Celsius, the procedures set out for Outdoor Work should
be followed.
It should be noted that depending on the insulation, and construction material used in buildings and
structures, it is not uncommon for the temperature in non-air conditioned premises to exceed the
external air temperature in periods of excessive heat. In addition, once a building ‘heats up’, depending
on the construction and insulation, it may retain heat for some period of time.
Indoor Work (air-conditioned)
The principles for indoor work in air conditioned environments vary from the previous types of work, as
these guidelines cover circumstances where there may be a temporary, or complete failure, of a
workplace air conditioning system. In such an event, the occupational health problems that can arise
may result from problems caused by heat, ventilation, and air quality, or any combination of these three
factors.
References
“Heat Stress”, Health and Safety Guidelines, Professional and Specialized Services, Occupational Health and Safety
Branch, Ministry of Labour, April 2003. “Preventing Heat Stress at Work”, WorkSafe BC, 2007 Edition © Industrial
Accident Prevention Association, 2006, 2007.
OSHA Technical Manual, Directive Number TED 01-00-015 (1/20/1999);
Heat Stress Management 2012-01-23
Original Date: July 25, 2000; updated January 23, 2012
Page 7 of 7