Work Place Heat Hazard

Hot environments in a wide range of industries present serious hazards to employee safety and health.  Heat stress, the combination of  heat, humidity and physical labor, can lead to serious illness and even death.

Long exposure to extreme heat or too much activity under a hot sun causes excessive perspiration, which can lead to heat exhaustion.  Symptoms include headache and a feeling of weakness and dizziness accompanied by nausea and vomiting, there may also be cramps.

In heat exhaustion there is excessive perspiration.  By contrast, in heat stroke, there is an absence of perspiration; an extremely high body temperature; hot, dry skin; confusion; and loss of consciousness and/or convulsions.  An extremely high body temperature can cause death.

Treatment for heat exhaustion includes:

• Move the person to a cool environment (i.e. a well-ventilated or shaded area).
• Remove or loosen their clothing.
• Increase the consumption of fluids.  (Do not force an unconscious person to drink.)

For heat stroke or if the person is unconscious:

• Reduce the body’s temperature as rapidly as possible via a cool water or sponge bath; fan the body surface.
• Contact a physician immediately.

Case Study:  Restaurant Industry

In July of 2006, MIOSHA received an employee complaint regarding heat stress in a restaurant.  The complaint alleged that employees were working in 95-degree temperatures, they felt dehydrated, the temperature may have affected an employee’s breathing, an employee was sent to the emergency room for heat exhaustion, and the conditions were unworkable.

Investigation Background

While there are no MIOSHA regulations requiring temperatures to be kept under a certain degree, Section 11(a) of Act 154 (the General Duty Clause) requires the employer to furnish to each employee, employment and a place of employment which is free from recognized hazards that are causing, or are likely to cause, death or serious physical harm to the employee.

Work operations involving high air temperatures, radiant heat sources, high humidity, and strenuous physical work activities have a high potential for inducing heat stress in employees engaged in such operations.  The work operations identified in this investigation involved employees cooking at a grill in the kitchen, chefs cooking in the dining room, and workers dishwashing in the kitchen of a restaurant.  Employees had developed and experienced heat-induced disorders such as heat exhaustion, fainting and heat fatigue, for approximately two weeks prior to the investigation.

Investigation Measurements

During the investigation wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) measurements were obtained.  WBGT offers a useful, first-order index of the environmental contribution to heat stress; it is influenced by air temperature, radiant heat and humidity, but does not account for all the interactions between an employee and the environment.

During the investigation the WBGT measurements indicated employees were exposed to readings ranging from 77.9 to 96.3 °F on July 28, 2006, and from 82.4 to 93.2 °F on August 2, 2006.  It was noted there were outdoor record high temperature of 96 °F on

July 31, 2006, and 97 °F on August 1, 2006.

Heat Stress Violations

The investigation of employee exposure to heat stress in this workplace resulted in a citation of the General Duty Clause being issued, based on known industry standards.

The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH^®) provides general controls to deal with heat stress from air temperature, as well as the interactions between employees and the environment.  The interactions below were investigated during the inspection.

Heat reduction – During the investigation it was noted that employees were exposed to radiant heat during the cooking process and were exposed to steam while dishwashing.  The employer had not provided shielding, the ventilation above the dishwasher designed for removal of steam was not functioning, and cooling garments and portable air chillers were not utilized.

An employer should shield employees from radiant heat sources, and reduce process heat and water-vapor release.  Cooling garments (vests, bandanas) can be worn to reduce the heat exposure to employees and portable air chillers can be used. 

Ventilation – During the investigation it was noted that air conditioning was provided in the dining room and office areas, but there was no air conditioning supplied to the kitchen area for cooking and dishwashing.  It was also noted that the air conditioning in the dining room was not functioning at the time of the inspection.  Circulating fans were used in the kitchen areas; however, it was not effective since air that exceeds 95 °F can increase the heat load on the body.

An employer should provide general air movement through use of supply and exhaust ventilation.

Administrative controls – During the investigation it was noted that breaks were not taken by employees according to the ACGIH^®recommendations for frequency found in Table 2 of the Heat Stress section of the Threshold Limit Values (TLV)booklet.  Employees were not allowed sufficient recovery time for heat exposure.  Breaks that were taken by dishwashers and dining room chefs were taken outdoors in a hot environment, not in a cool area.

An employer should set acceptable exposure times to heat, should allow sufficient recovery for employees exposed to heat, and should limit physiological strain by reducing heavy activity.  As metabolic rate increases from work demand, an employee’s exposure to heat stress can result in an excessive heart rate and elevated body core temperature by not allowing for proper recovery from heat exposure for the body.

Training – During the investigation it was noted that employees were not trained on the signs of symptoms of heat stress and were not permitted to practice self limitation to exposure.

Employers should train employees and supervisors by providing accurate verbal and written instructions about heat stress, including self-determination of exposures.  Employees should be aware of the signs and symptoms of heat stress and should be encouraged to detect these signs in themselves and in coworkers.  Employees should also be permitted to practice self limitation of heat exposure based on these signs.

Heat stress hygiene practices – During the investigation it was noted that most employees did drink water, but were not monitored or encouraged to drink cool water every 20 minutes.  Additionally, aside from the clothing worn by dishwashers, employees were required to wear uniforms that through fabric and style (high collars, neckties, and chef’s hats) limited evaporation.

Employers should encourage fluid replacement and the use of proper clothing.  Employees should drink small volumes (approximately 1 cup) of cool liquid every 20 minutes.  Free movement of cool, dry air over the skin’s surface maximizes heat removal through evaporation of sweat from the skin; water-vapor-impermeable or thermally insulated clothing restricts heat removal.

Medical surveillance – The investigation revealed the employer did not screen employees to identify those employees more susceptible to heat.

Employers should allow pre-placement screening to identify those employees susceptible to systemic heat injury.  Employees who take medications that may compromise normal cardiovascular, blood pressure, body temperature regulation, renal or sweat gland functions; and those employees who abuse alcohol, may have an increased susceptibility to heat stress.  Employers can also encourage healthy life styles and ideal body weight.

Acclimatization – During the investigation it was noted the employees were acclimated to the heat exposure.

Acclimatization is a gradual physiological adaptation that improves an individual’s ability to tolerate heat stress.  Full-heat acclimatization requires up to three weeks of continued physical activity under heat-stress conditions similar to those anticipated for the work, with a loss occurring after four days.  Employers can develop a plan to expose employees to heat at gradually increasing rate over a five-day period. 

Company Abatement

The employer submitted the information below as actions taken to address the issue:

• Air conditioning equipment in restaurant was repaired.
• Cooling vests and cooling bandanas were purchased for employees.
• Temperature monitoring control devices were purchased and place in the kitchen and dining room.
• A temperature monitoring and tracking procedure was implemented.
• Management attended a MIOSHA safety in the workplace seminar.
• Signs were posted educating the staff about heat stress and how to recognize the symptoms in themselves and others.
• Employees were given access to cool beverages.
• Major renovations of the building which would include replacing HVAC equipment were planned.

CET Division Services

If you have any questions on heat stress, or need a workplace evaluation, please call the MIOSHA Consultation Education and Training (CET) Division at 517.322.1809. 

Additional information and handouts can be obtained from www.michigan.gov/miosha;  www.osha.gov; and www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/heatstress.

Healthy Tips: Eight Tips For Healthy Eating

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is an important part of maintaining good health, and can help you feel your best. It can be simple, too. Just follow these eight tips to get started.

The two keys to a healthy diet are: Eat the right number of calories for how active you are, so that you balance the energy you consume with the energy you use. If you eat or drink too much, you’ll put on weight. If you eat too little you’ll lose weight. The average man needs around 2,500 calories a day. The average woman needs 2,000 calories. Most adults are eating more calories than they need, and should eat fewer calories. Eat a wide range of foods to ensure that you’re getting a balanced diet and that your body is receiving all the nutrients it needs.

Get started

These practical tips cover the basics of healthy eating, and can help you make healthier choices:

Base your meals on starchy foods

Starchy foods include potatoes, cereals, pasta, rice and bread. Choose wholegrain varieties when you can: they contain more fibre, and can make you feel full for longer. Starchy foods should make up around one third of the foods you eat. Most of us should eat more starchy foods: try to include at least one starchy food with each main meal. Some people think starchy foods are fattening, but gram for gram they contain fewer than half the calories of fat. Learn more in Starchy foods.

Eat lots of fruit and veg

It’s recommended that we eat at least five portions of different types of fruit and veg a day. It’s easier than it sounds. A glass of 100% unsweetened fruit juice can count as one portion, and vegetables cooked into dishes also count. Why not chop a banana over your breakfast cereal, or swap your usual mid-morning snack for some dried fruit? Learn more in 5 A DAY.

Eat more fish

Fish is a good source of protein and contains many vitamins and minerals. Aim for at least two portions a week, including at least one portion of oily fish. Oily fish is high in omega-3 fats, which may help to prevent heart disease. You can choose from fresh, frozen and canned; but remember that canned and smoked fish can be high in salt. Oily fish include salmon, mackerel, trout, herring, fresh tuna, sardines and pilchards. Non-oily fish include haddock, plaice, coley, cod, tinned tuna, skate and hake. Anyone who regularly eats a lot of fish should try to choose as wide a variety as possible.

Cut down on saturated fat and sugar

We all need some fat in our diet. But it’s important to pay attention to the amount and type of fat we’re eating. There are two main types of fat: saturated and unsaturated. Too much saturated fat can increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which increases your risk of developing heart disease. Saturated fat is found in many foods, such as hard cheese, cakes, biscuits, sausages, cream, butter, lard and pies. Try to cut down, and choose foods that contain unsaturated rather than saturated fats, such as vegetable oils, oily fish and avocados. For a healthier choice, use a just a small amount of vegetable oil or reduced fat spread instead of butter, lard or ghee. When you're having meat, choose lean cuts and cut off any visible fat. Learn more, and get tips on cutting down, in Eat less saturated fat.

Most people in the UK eat and drink too much sugar. Sugary foods and drinks, including alcoholic drinks, are often high in calories, and could contribute to weight gain. They can also cause tooth decay, especially if eaten between meals. Cut down on sugary fizzy drinks, alcoholic drinks, cakes, biscuits and pastries, which contain added sugars: this is the kind of sugar we should be cutting down on rather than sugars that are found naturally in foods such as fruit and milk. Food labels can help: use them to check how much sugar foods contain. More than 15g of sugar per 100g means that the food is high in sugar. Learn more in Sugars.

Eat less salt

Even if you don’t add salt to your food, you may still be eating too much. About three-quarters of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy, such as breakfast cereals, soups, breads and sauces. Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure. People with high blood pressure are more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke. Use food labels to help you cut down. More than 1.5g of salt per 100g means the food is high in salt. Adults and children over 11 should eat no more than 6g of salt a day. Younger children should have even less. Learn more in Salt: the facts.

Get active and be a healthy weight

Eating a healthy, balanced diet plays an important part in maintaining a healthy weight, which is an important part of overall good health. Being overweight or obese can led to health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, heart disease and stroke. Being underweight could also affect your health. Check whether you’re a healthy weight by using our Healthy weight calculator. Most adults need to lose weight, and need to eat fewer calories in order to do this. If you're trying to lose weight, aim to eat less and be more active. Eating a healthy, balanced diet will help: aim to cut down on foods that are high in fat and sugar, and eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. Don't forget that alcohol is also high in calories, so cutting down can help you to control your weight. You can find information and advice to help in Lose weight. If you’re underweight, see Underweight adults. If you're worried about your weight, ask your GP or a dietitian for advice.

Physical activity can help you to maintain weight loss or be a healthy weight. Being active doesn’t have to mean hours at the gym: you can find ways to fit more activity into your daily life. For example, try getting off the bus one stop early on the way home from work, and walking. Being physically active may help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. For more ideas, see Get active your way. After getting active, remember not to reward yourself with a treat that is high in calories. If you feel hungry after activity choose foods or drinks that are lower in calories but still filling.

Don't get thirsty

We need to drink about 1.2 litres of fluid every day to stop us getting dehydrated. This is in addition to the fluid we get from the food we eat. All non-alcoholic drinks count, but water, milk and fruit juices are the most healthy. Try to avoid sugary soft and fizzy drinks that are high in added sugars and can be high in calories and bad for teeth. When the weather is warm, or when we get active, we may need more. Learn more in Drinks.

Don’t skip breakfast

Some people skip breakfast because they think it will help them lose weight. In fact, research shows that eating breakfast can help people control their weight. A healthy breakfast is an important part of a balanced diet, and provides some of the vitamins and minerals we need for good health. Wholemeal cereal, with fruit sliced over the top is a tasty and nutritious breakfast.

More information

Learn more about healthy eating in A balanced diet, and read about the energy contained in food in Understanding calories.

Source : NHS

All Power To You

What makes a strong woman, and is it a quality to aspire to? Absolutely, says Hannah Ebelthite. It’s time to celebrate female strength – both physical and emotional

When I asked friends and family what female strength meant to them, the responses varied. A few cited prominent politicians such as Hillary Clinton or Margaret Thatcher. Others looked to top athletes like Victoria Pendleton. Some saw it in women who’d battled adversity, such as military widows, while others described motherhood as the ultimate test of, and testament to, strength. There used to be a sense that, to be a strong woman, you had to act ‘like a man’ toughing it out and being emotionally cold. ‘Increasingly, though, strength is being seen as a positive attribute for a woman,’ says psychotherapist Gael Lindenfield, author of The Emotional Healing Strategy (Michael Joseph, £10.99). ‘It means coping well with setbacks, standing up for what you believe in and, importantly, being yourself. And it’s something women are good at.’ As for physical strength, few women have ever aimed to look powerful muscles tend to be seen as unfeminine and undesirable. But with the approach of London 2012, we’ll soon witness some awe-inspiring displays of female strength and not just in the weightlifting (although Team GB’s Zoe Smith is one to watch). Competing at that level requires physical, mental and emotional strength, qualities we can all learn from our athletes. Here, Healthy takes a positive look at what it means to be a strong woman today.

Let’s get physical

In times of recession, it’s the taller, more athletic female body shapes that become fashionable – think Amazonian supermodels rather than fragile waifs. And while we can’t all look like Cindy Crawford circa 1990, her strong, lean look is one we can aspire to through exercise. You can put aside worries of a beefy, bulky physique, as it’s a shape women don’t naturally acquire. ‘You don’t have the testosterone,’ explains personal trainer Nick Mitchell (www.upfitness.co.uk), who works with top female models, focusing on strength-training to sculpt their shape. ‘A lot of women choose cardio aerobics classes, using the cross trainer or treadmill at the gym to stay in shape. But you should work with weights, too it’s the fastest route to a great body.’

And what many women don’t realise is if you focus on strength, you’ll naturally become slimmer and lose weight. ‘The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be,’ says strength and conditioning coach and triathlete, Karen Weir (www.runwithkaren.com). ‘So the faster you’ll burn fat, even at rest. Then there’s the fact that muscle is more space efficient it might weigh more than fat, but it takes up less room.’ So the stronger you are, the better you’ll fit those skinny jeans.

Strength of mind

Emotional strength may not always be obvious on the surface. ‘There’s a distinction between processing your emotions and toughing it out,’ says Lindenfield. ‘Just because someone appears to be coping well, it doesn’t mean they are.’ In fact, an ability to acknowledge your vulnerabilities tends to mean you are a lot more resilient than someone who pushes on through with a stiff upper lip. Nor does ‘strong’ have to mean shouting the loudest and getting your own way. Persistence and gentle assertiveness can be more powerful.

‘Women are better than men at processing their emotions,’ Lindefield explains. ‘We’re more likely to allow ourselves to heal and go through the process to avoid a backlog of sadness and resentment that can hold us back. We seek comfort by talking to friends. We don’t mind being seen to be sad or angry, and then we can move on. A strong woman is able to go through this process and emerge stronger.’ Another word for strength is resilience. ‘It’s a bit of a buzzword in psychology circles,’ says Lindenfield. ‘Resilience is something we all have to varying degrees.’ It doesn’t mean you don’t get down about things; it means you experience your feelings fully, do what you need to do to cope (without relying on unhealthy mechanisms such as drinking to excess), and come out the other side.

Source : Healthy-Megazine

Fire Safety Clothings

Every tool firefighters bring to the scene of a fire is designed to withstand extreme heat, harsh chemicals, and dangerous conditions. This is true even of the clothes they wear. No material is completely fireproof, but firefighters’ clothes are designed to provide a fire-resistant shield that protects them against extremely high temperatures for a long period of time.

Firefighters’ clothes are typically made of a combination of Nomex—a material that provides extreme heat and fire protection, actually carbonizing in the presence of heat and creating a thick barrier that protects the skin—and Kevlar, a material that adds flexibility and breathability to allow firefighters to perform strenuous work even in difficult conditions. Here’s an overview of the gear firefighters wear when they respond to a call.

Fire kit. Also referred to as “turnout gear” or “bunker gear,” this refers to firefighters’ outer protective gear, which is highly fire resistant clothing. The term can be used to mean trousers, boots and jacket, or the entire system of protective clothing and equipment. According to tradition, the trousers and boots are traditionally stored by the firefighter’s bunk at the fire station for quick access. The trousers are typically stored crumpled around the boots so firefighters can step quickly into the boots and pull the trousers up.

Most fire brigades assign firefighters a jacket and trousers as part of their fire kit. This combination allows firefighters to take the jacket off if needed to cool off. Ordinarily, the fire kit’s job is to provide insulation from outside air—so they’re very hot.

Some fire brigades, however, assign a full-body suit that covers both upper and lower body. While this can’t be removed in situations where full-body protection isn’t needed, it also provides better protection from hot gasses, since there’s no gap between the top and bottom garments.

Boots. Firefighters use boots made of rubber or leather. They’re designed for extra toughness, fitted with safety toes and a midsole plate assuring puncture-resistance in case the firefighter steps on a nail or other sharp object. The rubber or leather is treated to be extremely fire resistant.

Helmets. A firefighter’s helmet is designed to protect the firefighter’s head from falling debris, as well as extreme heat. The helmet is made with a hard shell made to provide protection against heat, steam, electrical shocks and other hazards. Some come equipped with built-in goggles or visors to protect the eyes and face.

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Protective hoods. Helmets are designed for heat and hazard protection, but they don’t cover the ears, neck, and a significant part of the face. When full-body protection is needed, firefighters wear a hood that completely covers the areas not protected by the helmet. These are made from Nomex knit fabric—the same material that provides heat and fire protection on a firefighter’s fire kit and other fire resistant clothing.

The fire resistant clothing firefighters wear is designed to perform miracles. It allows firefighters to walk into burning buildings, rescue victims and extinguish fires without risk of serious injury or death. It can be very hot and heavy to wear, but the protection is worth it.