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Working in heat

Guidance note

July 2012

Purpose

This Guidance Note provides practical advice or dealing withheat illness and related health and saety problems atworkplaces. It contains recommended actions and measuresto prevent or minimise the likelihood o heat illness.

Background

Heat illness occurs when the body cannot sufciently coolitsel. Factors that contribute to this include:

temperature

humidity

amount o air movement

radiant temperature o surroundings

clothing

physical activity (metabolic heat load).

Heat illness covers a range o medical conditions that can

arise when the body is unable to properly cope with workingin heat. These conditions include:

heat stroke - a lie threatening condition that requiresimmediate frst aid and medical attention

ainting

heat exhaustion

heat cramps

rashes (also called prickly heat)

heat atigue

worsening o pre-existing illnesses and conditions.

Signs and symptoms o heat illness include eeling sick,nauseous, dizzy or weak. Clumsiness, collapse and convulsionsmay also be experienced as a result o heat illness.

Workers with these signs or symptoms need to seek immediatemedical attention.

Workplace health and saety laws require the workingenvironment to be sae and without risks to health and saety,so ar as is reasonably practicable. This applies to any riskto health and saety, including illness rom working in heat.

What is the risk of heat illness occurring?

There are several actors that need to be considered whendetermining i there is a risk o heat illness to workers andways to protect them.

When identiying heat hazards and controlling heat risks,workers likely to be exposed to heat as well as their health andsaety representatives (HSRs), i any, must be consulted.

Identifying heat illness hazards

Air temperature alone cannot be used to determine whetherthere is a risk o heat illness. The key risk actors that needto be taken into account are:

air temperature

humidity (in the environment or workplaces such aslaundries and mines)

radiant heat (rom the sun or other sources such asurnaces and ovens)

air movement or wind speed

workload (nature o the work and duration)

physical ftness o the worker (including acclimatisationand any pre-existing conditions eg overweight, heart/circulatory diseases, skin diseases or use o certainmedicines)

clothing (including protective clothing such as overalls,coveralls and suits worn during insecticide spraying).

Is there a risk of heat illness?

I there is a risk o heat illness at work, it must be controlled.Advice may be sought rom a person competent in heatassessment. They can provide recommendations about howthe risk can be controlled.

Any assessment should include an appropriate heat stress

index. A commonly used and recognised index is the WetBulb Globe Temperature (WBGT). The WBGT takes intoaccount air temperature, radiant heat, humidity and airmovement. Adjustments are also made to take into accountthings such as physical workload, clothing and workorganisation.

I a risk o heat illness is identifed, control measures needto be put in place. Workers considered at risk due toactors such as pre-existing conditions should beassessed by a doctor.

GUI0084/02/07.12

Advice about how to prevent heat illness from working outdoors in hot weather or where heat is generated aspart of work.

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7/28/2019 Guidance Working in Heat2012d

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Guidance Note Working in heat

Preventing heat illness

The risk can also be minimised by modiying workload. Thismay include:

rescheduling work so the hot tasks are perormed duringthe cooler part o the day

doing the work at a dierent location

wearing light clothing that still provides adequate protection

reducing the time spent doing hot tasks (eg job rotation)

arranging or more workers to do the job

providing extra rest breaks in a cool area

using mechanical aids to reduce physical exertion

Other measures for preventing heat illness include: keeping people away rom hot processes

allowing workers to acclimatise

providing cool drinking water near the work site. Duringhot weather, workers should be encouraged to drink acup o water (about 200 mL) every 15 to 20 minutes

providing personal protective equipment (PPE) such asreective aprons and ace shields or reducing exposureto radiant heat. Outdoor workers should be provided withprotection against ultraviolet exposure, such as wide brimhat, loose ftting, long-sleeved collared (preerably cotton)shirt and long pants, sunglasses and sunscreen

providing workers with inormation, instruction andtraining on recognising heat-related illness and on frstaid. Adequate supervision o workers is also required

providing frst aid acilities and access to medical help

Use engineering controls to prevent or minimise heat

illness. Examples include:

increasing air movement using ans

installing shade cloth to reduce radiant heat rom the sun

installing shields or barriers to reduce radiant heat romsources such as urnaces

removing heated air or steam rom hot processes usinglocal exhaust ventilation

installing air conditioners or coolers to reduce airtemperature and generate air movement

locating hot processes away rom people

insulating/enclosing hot processes or plant

isolating workers rom the hot process by locating themin air conditioned control rooms.

I symptoms occur, workers need to rest in a cool, well-ventilated area and drink cool uids. I symptoms do notimprove quickly, or skin is very hot and dry to touch, seek

urgent medical help.Plan ahead and ensure all necessary measures or preventingheat illness can be implemented when hot weather is predicted.

Related health and safety problems

Apart rom heat illness, hot working conditions may eithercontribute to or cause other health and saety problems, orexample:

loss o grip while handling tools, objects and controls dueto sweaty hands

slips, trips and alls due to ainting or atigue

errors/mistakes due to heat atigue

not ollowing sae work procedures or cutting cornersdue to atigue and/or discomort

not using PPE due to discomort

burns rom contact with hot suraces or substances.

Heat discomfort

Heat discomort is what many people eel when it is hot. It isnot a medical condition like heat illness and thereore is notconsidered a risk to health.

People who work in ofce type environments and who dovery little physical work are unlikely to be at risk o sueringheat illness. What they experience as a result o highertemperature and increased humidity is likely to be heatdiscomort.

Heat discomort can generally be managed by:

increasing air movement providing air conditioning (i practical)

providing access to cool water

wearing suitable light, loose ftting clothing.

Thermal comort is subjective, but generally, conditionsconsidered comortable or people working indoors anddoing light work are:

air temperature (dry bulb temperature) 23 to 26 degrees C

relative humidity 30 to 60 per cent.

Further information

Contact the WorkSae Victoria Advisory Service on1800 136 089 or go to worksafe.vic.gov.au

Compliance Code:Workplace amenities and workplaceenvironment.

Note:This guidance material has been prepared using the best inormationavailable to the Victorian WorkCover Authority and should be used or

general use only. The Victorian WorkCover Authority cannot be heldresponsible and extends no warranties as to the suitability o the inormationor your specifc circumstances; or actions taken by third parties as a resulto the inormation contained in the guidance material.