Jack Hartley, Content Specialist, RPB Safety
Industrial workers are placed in dangerous working environments every day. With engineering controls and PPE, these risks can be significantly reduced. However, the temperatures in which they operate are very difficult to maintain and control. Some PPE, while essential, can intensify the effects of severe heat and cold. Due to the uncontrollable nature of climate conditions, regulating body temperature can be a potentially major hazard.
As we head into warmer months and this becomes a daily battle, the topic of climate conditions enters operators' and safety officers' minds. Keeping up with production demands while maintaining operator safety is of paramount importance to businesses. By understanding the impact of climate in industrial workplaces and what appropriate measures can be implemented to mitigate the risk, employers are able to gain some control over their environment in order to advance their workforce's safety and increase its productivity.
Dangers of operating climate
When the body becomes too warm, it increases blood flow to the skin in order to produce sweat to cool itself down. PPE can create a barrier for sweat that is trying to evaporate from the skin. As the body struggles to regulate its temperature, it goes into heat exhaustion/heat stroke, leading to headaches, nausea, seizures and, in some cases, death. OSHA reports that operators in temperatures exceeding 80 degrees Fahrenheit make an average of five mistakes an hour -- and 19 mistakes an hour after three hours. Heat stress has been cited as one of the biggest contributing factors in preventable accidents at work. OSHA has stated the construction industry accounts for more than 40 percent of heat-related worker deaths each year.
Similarly, operating in cold conditions has a whole host of dangerous effects. As your heart beats faster to keep your body warm, your blood pressure will rise. For anyone with chronic lung disease, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or bronchitis, cold air can aggravate these issues, and the stress put on the heart can be fatal. As body temperature drops, blood flow is directed to essential organs, causing you to lose the sense of feeling in extremities and making it difficult to hold on to equipment. Extreme cold also places operators at risk of getting hypothermia, which, if left untreated, can also lead to death.
These risks are significant and can have a detrimental effect on operators' health, safety and well-being. Unlike most typical worksite hazards, temperatures are often overlooked; it has become accepted that there is little we can do to make a difference, so environmental conditions are not prioritized. However, as health and safety become a priority, new safety precautions are being developed in order to combat climate hazards.
How to mitigate the risk
Workplaces take many steps to reduce the risk of climate impacting their workers: operating at a slower speed, taking more breaks, rotating staff for longer recovery periods, and rescheduling work to cooler or warmer parts of the day. However, all these measures have an impact on productivity and efficiency, and for some industries like firefighting, foundries or outdoor welding, it is simply not feasible to mitigate this risk.
While PPE can worsen effects of severe heat and cold, there is PPE available to help regulate body temperature. One of the greatest advancements in respiratory protection has been the creation of climate control devices. This has completely revolutionized the operator experience in otherwise uncomfortable and dangerous conditions. By incorporating this device with loose-fitting supplied-air respirators, users can adjust the temperature of their supplied air to be hot or cold. Airflow is then able to be directed around the head and down the upper body to help regulate body temperature. This enables the user to operate more efficiently, safely and productively than ever before.
At home, we do everything possible to keep ourselves warm in winter and cool in summer. Why not do this at work, too?
For more information, visit www.rpbsafety.com or call (866) 494-4599.
