The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is urging employers and employees to take extra steps to beat the heat this week and next.
Wichita region director Todd Underwood tells KVOE News OSHA’s biggest concern is how workers adapt to the heat.
For employers, that means having extra water on hand, possibly installing air conditioners or fans and allowing frequent breaks and lighter workloads at the start of a heat wave. It also includes more active monitoring of employees for signs of heat stress. For workers, Underwood says this involves taking the typical heat-related precautions, especially by drinking lots of water and wearing light, loose-fitting clothing, and by speaking up whenever they feel the heat is affecting them.
Underwood says OSHA gets involved after employees or outside agencies file complaints or when workers either get sick or die on the job. However, he held up an unnamed Kansas business as being a “blue-ribbon” example of how to do things the right way.
OSHA says there are dozens of heat-related deaths at workplaces every year and 75 percent of them happen in the first week of a heat wave. Employees can call 800-321-OSHA or go online to osha.gov to register complaints. Workers can file anonymous complaints if they want.
More information about heat hazards and resources is available for employers and employees is available online at osha.gov/heat.
Videos courtesy Occupational Safety and Health Administration
