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Hello - We hope you are having a wonderful summer while enjoying the weather and smoke free skies! Hot temperatures have finally arrived after a late Spring and now is the time to go over your Heat Illness Prevention Plan. Be Summer-Safety ready with these steps to help ensure the comfort and safety of your team!
Staying Safe in Summer Temperatures!
Hot temperatures have finally arrived after a late Spring and now is the time to go over your Heat Illness Prevention Plan. Be Summer-Safety ready with these steps to ensure the comfort and safety of your team.
- Hydrate
- Dehydration is a seasonal threat during hot and dry months of summer. Don't forget to keep plenty of cool, fresh water around.
- Issue consistent messages to employees to remain aware of fluid intake levels. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink water!
- Come to work hydrated and aim to stay hydrated by drinking cool water all day. Recall that alcohol and caffeine will dehydrate you quickly on a hot day. Limit these drinks and choose water.
- Prepare for the Unexpected
- Certified first-aid and CPR personnel come in remarkably handy at work and home. The situation doesn’t have to be an emergency like heat exhaustion or heat stroke (which can be fatal). During summer months, lots of smaller situations develop like scrapes and cuts to bug bites and rashes. Pack a smart-stocked first-aid kit wherever your summer excursions take you this year.
- Foodborne Illnesses
- Take responsibility for what you serve and how safely you store picnic and party leftovers. Keep foodborne illness bacteria from growing with responsible refrigeration. As always, label food so those with food allergies won’t unknowingly consume food with dangerous ingredients.
- Cover and Protect
- Protect your skin. When spending time in the sun apply sunscreen (30 SPF or higher, with UVA and UVB protection); reapply often.
- Wear a hat that covers both your ears and neck.
- Sunglasses! Polarized!
- Avoid Bug Bites by using your choice of insect repellent.
- Beat the Heat
- Hot temps and humidity can challenge comfort-levels of everyday work environments. Many workplaces are air conditioned – but there’s no one temp that is comfortable for everyone. If you usually “run hot,” then dress in loose-fitting, light cottons and other “breathable” fabric types. If you are on the colder side of life, consider packing a light sweater to take the chill off if needed.
Also, Effective July 1, 2022, Oregon OSHA’s adopted new rules to protect employees from wildfire smoke . This will apply to employers whose employees are or will be exposed to unhealthy or hazardous levels of wildfire smoke.
ALL Oregon and Washington employers are subject to their respective state’s new heat illness prevention and wildfire smoke regulations. Questions about the new heat and wildfire smoke rules that are in effect? Contact your Customer Service Specialist today!
Worksite Poster for Heat Illness Prevention
Protection from Wildfire Smoke Rules and Requirements
Needing help with running a safety meeting? Keep an eye out for our next newsletter where we will be going over how to effectively run your monthly safety meetings. This will contain added resources with meeting outlines and information on how to keep track of meeting notes.
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