AvoidingHeatRelatedStress.ppt

Avoiding Heat Related Stress NIOSH From iron workers to pastry bakers, Americans work in a wide variety of hot or hot and humid environments: Outdoor operations in hot weather, including surface mining, roofing, road repair and construction, dam building, and other construction Being uncomfortable is not the major problem with working in high temperatures and high humidity. Workers who are suddenly exposed to working in a hot environment face additional and generally avoidable hazards to their safety and health. The employer should provide detailed instructions on preventive measures and adequate protection necessary to prevent heat stress. Affected Industries Farming operations Iron, steel and nonferrous foundries Brick-firing and ceramics operations Glass products manufacturing plants Rubber products manufacturing plants Electrical utilities (particularly boiler rooms) Bakeries Confectioneries Restaurant kitchens Laundries Food canneries Mines Smelters Steam tunnels How Our Body Handles Heat The human body, being warm blooded, maintains a fairly constant internal temperature, even though it is being exposed to varying environmental temperatures. To keep internal body temperatures within safe limits, the body must get rid of its excess heat, primarily through varying the rate and amount of blood circulation through the skin and the release of fluid onto the skin by the sweat glands. These automatic responses usually occur when the temperature of the blood exceeds 98.6 degrees and are kept in balance and controlled by the brain. How Our Body Handles Heat In this process of lowering internal body temperature, the heart begins to pump more blood, blood vessels expand to accommodate the increased flow, and the microscopic blood vessels (capillaries) which thread through the upper layers of the skin begin to fill with blood. The blood circulates closer to the surface of the skin, and the excess heat is lost to the cooler environment. How Our Body Hand