Be Aware of Heat Stress and Weather-Related Injury

As temperature and humidity rise during the summer months of the growing season, it is important to prepare yourself and your employees to prevent heat related injuries. Here are some tips:
Train Employees: Train employees on how to identify possible heat stress symptoms and how to prevent or treat them.
Adjust Work Schedule:
• Monitor temperature and humidity, and workers’ condition during periods of hot/humid weather.
• Schedule strenuous work or tasks requiring personal protective equipment (PPE) for the cooler hours of the day.
• Shorten the length of work periods and increase the length of rest periods.
• Give workers shade or cooling during breaks.
• Monitor weather and inform employees of potentially dangerous conditions.
Drinking. Have adequate water available and encourage employees to drink enough to replace fluid loss through sweating.

Adapted from:

https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-worker-safety/preventing-heat-stress-agriculture

Heat-related illnesses and agricultural producers. (2019) Farm and Ranch eXtension in Safety and Health (FReSH) Community of Practice. Retrieved from http://www.extension.org/pages/62261/heat-related-illnesses-and-agricultural-producers.