WSRCA Heat Safety News: Water. Rest. Shade.

Heat is Creating More Legal Problems this Summer

by Howard Mavity, FISHERPHILLIPS.COM

It has been close to 100° in many southern states and even worse in the West. The Union of Concerned Scientists has warned of a “dangerous heat wave and steps to take. Perhaps I should not be surprised that we have heard of an unusual number of employee deaths where heat was probably not a factor, but the circumstances required determining whether workplace heat contributed to the event. Similarly, was an employee’s illness after work related to the heat and was the hospitalization for treatment or for “observation.” We have also seen a large number of OSHA inspections examining heat outside on construction sites or in manufacturers and foundries. Regardless of these legal issues, one fact is clear … we have to purposefully protect employees during this season.

OSHA and other organizations have done a good job of reminding employers to protect employees from risk associated with heat. In particular, OSHA maintains a site on protecting employees from heat, entitled “Water. Rest. Shade. as shown above. California OSHA maintains a similar site and, unlike Federal - OSHA, has a heat - related safety standard. Rather than solely focusing on the temperature, weather and setting of the day, these guidelines emphasize the importance of training employees to recognize the signs of heat illness, and for supervisors to recognize the signs in their employees. The guidelines emphasize the need for frequent hydration and when working in the sun, a shady area to periodically retreat. Supervision should thoughtfully consider when work schedules need to be changed and breaks enforced.

Sadly, employees will experience heart attacks this summer, and many people will jump to the conclusion that the heart attacks were caused by working in the heat. In my 32 years of experience, heart attacks are rarely caused by work. In recognition of this fact, for years, Federal - OSHA largely left it to employers to determine if a heart attack at work should be reported to OSHA as a workplace fatality.   To find out more, CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING... by becoming a WSRCA member. WSRCA Safety & Health Committee Tracey Prociw - Chairman, Rainier View Roofing & Construction Leo Ibarra - Vice Chairman, Blue's Roofing Company Darin Douglas - Lowe Roofing, Inc. Tom Asbury - Summit Roofing Services Rod Menzel - GreatWay Roofing, Inc. Stan Robinson - Pacific West Roofing Kris Hitesman - Capitol Roofing Service [gaevent src="https://rooferscoffeeshop.com/rcs.php?gaplg=567"]

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