The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration warns about the dangers of working in hot weather as temperatures and the risk of heat illness rise in Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Mississippi.
Water, rest and shade can help workers finish the workday safely, avoiding the risk of incurring significant injuries or worse, according to a July 7 Department of Labor news release. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics reported at least 344 worker-related deaths in the U.S. due to environmental heat exposure from 2011 to 2019.
“Throughout the southeast, millions of workers are exposed to serious hazards from high temperatures,” Kurt Petermeyer, OSHA regional administrator in Atlanta, said in the release. “We strongly urge employers to learn how to recognize and mitigate these hazards to keep their workers safe.”
OSHA focuses its heat illness prevention campaign on increasing awareness of these critical dangers workers face, Petermeyer said, according to the release. The agency emphasizes the risks in a national program that reaches out to unions, employers in target industries and other organizations to protect workers most often exposed to heat illness and injuries.
Employees are urged to encourage 15-minute water breaks, ensure employees have a cool or shaded area for rest, have a heat illness emergency strategy in place, permit employees to develop a tolerance for working in the heat and train employees and supervisors on how to spot heat sickness symptoms and how to stay healthy, according to the release.
“Together, we can prevent the tragic loss of life of yet another worker as a result of heat illness,” he said in the release.
