Sometimes after a particularly grueling week at work, I like to treat myself to a nice meal at my favorite sushi spot and then unwind on my patio with a hot cup of green tea and the latest revision of the Deepwater Horizon Heat Stress Management Plan. In all seriousness, the Deepwater Horizon oil platform hasn’t enjoyed a great reputation lately after a high-profile oil spill and a Mark Wahlberg film depicting the event. However, while researching heat stress policies, I came across a heat stress prevention plan for workers responding to that spill and discovered some interesting techniques in place. These techniques seem perfect for other industries, like construction or pulp and paper mills, in which workers perform intense labor in hot and grueling conditions.
Work/Rest Cycles for Hot Environments
The main practice that drew my attention was the concept of a Work/Rest Cycle. The idea is that, if there are not air conditioning or ice vests available during work, then workers should take regular, mandatory breaks to allow their bodies to cool and prevent heat-related disorders. The rest area should take place in a shaded area if outdoors, or somewhere that is otherwise the same basic ambient temperature of the work area.
Deepwater Horizon’s plan provides guidelines for rest cycles based on the ambient temperature (as measured by a thermometer) and the clothing the worker is wearing.
Rest Cycles Depending on Temperature and Clothing Worn
|
|
Work clothing, boots, and gloves |
Work clothing, with a particle or water barrier |
Work clothing with a vapor barrier coverall |
|
Continuous Work |
< 87 degrees F |
N/A |
N/A |
|
40 minutes working, 20 resting |
< 93 degrees F |
< 78 degrees F |
< 75 degrees F |
|
20 minutes working, 40 resting |
< 98 degrees F |
< 92 degrees F |
< 88 degrees F |
Acclimatization
Deepwater Horizon’s plan also stresses the importance of acclimatization, the idea that it takes a worker’s body time, sometimes a few days, to get used to working in hotter conditions. Over time, a worker’s body will experience less stress from the same high temperatures. Deepwater Horizon’s plan recognizes new workers, workers returning from 3 weeks of colder temperatures, or workers returning from illness as needing more time to acclimatize to high heat work. For those workers performing jobs in the 40/20 or 20/40 work/rest cycle, Deepwater Horizon limits their work time 50% per hour on days 1 and 2 and increases them to 75% for days 3 and 4, then 100% on day 5 (Tremmel 2010). Their plan also includes increased monitoring for heat stress during this acclimatization period.
If certain jobs at your workplace are performed in hot conditions, whether outside in the blazing sun or inside near furnaces, boilers, or other sources of heat, your company should consider whether work/rest cycles are appropriate for workers. At a minimum, workers should be trained to recognize heat stress symptoms and respond accordingly, with ready access to shade, water, first aid, and a means of summoning medical response if necessary. Consider having cooldown stations where appropriate, especially for outdoor workers.
If you’d like a second set of eyes on your workplace or a second opinion on ways to keep your workers safe from heat-related disorders, our in-house safety experts would be happy to assist you on a site walkthrough and offer the fruits of their training and experience. Together, we do our part to keep workers hydrated, energized, and healthy this summer.
References
Tremmel, Fred (2010) Deepwater Horizon Heat Stress Management Plan. Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/oilspills/mc252heatstressplan.pdf
