The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has created an Employer Checklist for Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Injury and Illness Prevention which may be utilized to identify sources of heat hazards in the workplace and respond effectively. Section 1 of the checklist is designed to help employers recognize job-related heat risks while Section 2 explores preparedness for heat-related injuries and illnesses. Additional OSHA resources on heat-illness prevention are included on the last page of the checklist.

The University of Houston Clear Lake, using grant funds from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), created a model Heat-Illness Prevention Plan. While heat illness prevention plans are not required for New Jersey employers, review of this model plan may broaden an employer’s knowledge of heat illness prevention strategies. This model plan has five major sections which include employee training, monitoring weather conditions, heat hazard assessment, heat illness prevention strategies, and emergency response. Similar models are available online from states like California and Oregon which have adopted their own heat illness prevention rules.

Employee training on working in the heat may reduce risk of heat illness by raising awareness of heat safety. OSHA has developed “A Guide for Employers to Carry Out Heat Safety Training for Workers” which provides step-by-step instructions on how to engage employees in participatory heat safety training on three topics: 1) health effects of heat, 2) how to respond to symptoms, and 3) preventing heat illness. The training can be delivered in one, 45-minute session or three, 15-minute sessions.

Article By: The Rutgers Farm Health and Safety Working Group: Kate Brown, Michelle Infante-Casella, Stephen Komar and William Bamka

A Certified Safety and Health Official (CSHO) from OSHA inspected a farm during the third week of June in Southern NJ for heat related items. With this recent inspection activity and the current legislative landscape pertaining to heat stress, the Rutgers Farm Health and Safety Working Group has increased outreach and education on this topic. Resources on heat stress prevention from Rutgers are available in many formats for farmers.

Please take some time to review the NJAES Heat Stress and Agriculture website which features resources and tools from NJAES, OSHA, and the National Weather Service on heat stress mitigation. The Rutgers Working Group will continue to add new resources as they become available. These tools may aid farmers in their proactive efforts to manage heat stress.

As you review these resources, please realize strengthening your heat stress management practices may also help in preparedness for activities conducted during an OSHA heat-related inspection:

USDA Photo by Kirsten Strough.

• Review OSHA 300 Logs for any entries indicating heat-related illness(es),
• Review injury and illness reports and obtain any records of emergency room visits and/or ambulance transport, even if hospitalizations did not occur,
• Interview workers for reports of headache, dizziness, fainting, dehydration, or other symptoms that may indicate heat-related illnesses,
• Review employer’s plan to address heat exposure, including acclimatization procedures (especially for new and returning workers), work-rest schedules, access to shade and water (with electrolytes/sports drinks when needed), and any training records associated with a heat illness prevention program,
• Document, where possible, the heat index on the OSHA-NIOSH Heat App, using the screen save feature on a mobile phone or tablet, or keep other forms of these records,
• Identify conditions and activities relevant to heat-related hazards. These can include, but are not limited to:
  • Potential sources of heat-related illnesses (e.g., working in direct sunlight, in a hot vehicle, or areas with hot air, near an engine, furnace, boiler or steam lines),
  • Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) calculations and/or other temperature measurements,
  • Heat advisories, warnings or alerts,
  • The use of heavy or bulky clothing or equipment,
  • The types of activities performed by the employees and whether those activities can be categorized as moderate, heavy or very heavy work,
  • The length of time in which a worker is continuously or repeatedly performing moderate to strenuous activities,
  • Heat-related illnesses among new workers,
  • The presence of any recent vacation time or breaks in employment prior to complaints of heat-related symptoms, and
  • The availability of rest breaks, water and shade on site.

Article By: The Rutgers Farm Health and Safety Working Group: Kate Brown, Michelle Infante-Casella, Stephen Komar and William Bamka

The National Weather Service has graphical forecasts for many weather variables including heat index and wet bulb globe temperature which can be used to evaluate risk of heat stress. These predictive tools may be utilized to evaluate the risk of heat stress up to one week in advance and may aid in planning of field activities.

• Heat index: describes the apparent temperature based on air temperature and relative humidity in shady locations.
• Wet bulb globe temperature: incorporates air temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, and wind speed. May be more representative of field-based working conditions.

To access these graphical forecasts, visit https://digital.weather.gov/ and select either Wet Bulb Globe Temperature or HeatRisk experimental (i.e., heat index) from the drop-down menu. Zoom in to your location by holding your cursor over the area and scrolling with your mouse, or use the provided Zoom and movement tools in the upper left of the graph.

Article By: The Rutgers Farm Health and Safety Working Group: Kate Brown, Michelle Infante-Casella, Stephen Komar and William Bamka