The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health offers free heat-stress prevention resources for employers and mine workers, including an online training module, fact sheets, poster, and heat safety tool app.
With the water well industry like the mining industry, NIOSH's resources can help as temperatures continue to increase this summer.
Some examples of NIOSH recommendations that employers or workers can apply in many different work settings include:
- Limit time in the heat and/or increase recovery time in a cool environment.
- Increase the number of workers per task.
- Train supervisors and workers about heat stress, including symptoms of heat-related illness, first aid, and risk factors.
- Use a buddy system where workers observe each other for signs of heat-related illness.
- Provide adequate amounts of cool, potable water near the work area and encourage workers to drink frequently.
- Use a heat alert program (additional written guidelines) whenever the weather service forecasts that a heat wave is likely to occur.
- Develop a plan to get employees acclimatized to hot work conditions and to increase physical fitness.
Click here to access the free resources.