In reviewing 20 of the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and
Health Administration’s heat-related enforcement cases from 2012 to 2013, the Centers
for Disease Control found that the primary risk factor for heat fatalities is a lack of an
acclimatization process. This was detailed in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly
Report.
This conclusion came after the CDC found that, of the 20 cases, 13 resulted in fatalities,
and of those which resulted in fatalities, 9 deaths occurred during the first 3 days a new
employee was on the job. Of those 9, four occurred on the first day. The CDC further
found that in all 20 cases, there were incomplete or missing heat illness prevention
programs. Further, none of the businesses had a provision for acclimatizing new
employees to the heat.
OSHA has had a strong emphasis on heat illness for the last four years, running a national
Campaign to Prevent Heat Illness in Workers. This campaign has, at it’s core, the concept
“Water. Rest. Shade.” And if these elements are not a part of your company’s heat illness
protocols, OSHA will throw the book at you if you are ever audited.
So if you do not have a heat illness protection plan in place, or if you fear your plan
is out of date or incomplete, please contact a qualified occupational safety and health
professional auditing firm to help you reestablish and update your plans. Not only could
it save you from the hassle of an OSHA investigation, it could save the lives of your
employees.
If you have any questions about establishing a complete heat illness prevention plan,
please contact us. If you have anything to add about the CDC findings or the importance
of a well established heat illness prevention plan, please leave a comment.
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