WASHINGTON, DC – Summer, 2023 – Last summer, NBC news reported a new OSHA pilot-study for the prevention of heat-related illness of workers in at-risk industries by testing wearable arm bands. This device measures heart rate, exertional level, and core temperature. Core temperatures above 106 degrees are associated with heat-related illness; normal is 98.6 degrees. Workers at Black Warrior Brewing Company in Tuscaloosa, Alabama have participated in the study. Many have had to load kegs and pallets of beer cans onto trucks in the scorching Alabama summer heat. Once a worker’s core temperature reaches 100 degrees, the workers are asked to take a break before returning to work. Sam Ambrose, the head brewer, feels that this device can prevent serious heat-related illness from happening. He said “I’ve seen a lot of serious stuff happen in a lot of heat incidence.” At the time of last year’s report, the Alabama state government funded the cost for companies to participate in the study. The arm bands are manufactured by SlateSafety, headquartered in Atlanta.
The prevention of heat-related illness in workers has become a priority of the Biden Administration following a September 2021 initiative to fight climate change and its environmental and health impacts. However, OSHA does not have a specific standard for hazardous heat conditions. Therefore, President Biden would like the agency to develop heat-specific workplace rules to protect workers and prevent heat-related illness. There is an average of 35 work-related fatalities and almost 3 thousand cases of days away from work each year in the U.S. Most outdoor fatalities occur in the first few days of working in hot environments because the body has not built up a tolerance to heat. The lack of acclimatization is one of the major risk factors for heat-stress fatalities at work. Acclimatization is a beneficial physiologic adaptation of building up a tolerance to heat that occurs after repeated exposure to a hot environment.
Millions of workers are exposed to heat in the workplace and may develop heat-related illness in indoor and outdoor environments. Indoor industries include: kitchens, bakeries, steel mills, manufacturing with local heat sources, and warehouses. At-risk outdoor industries include: farming, construction, landscaping, and oil operations. A disproportionate number of these jobs are held by persons of color.
OSHA recommends that employers
- Have an emergency plan in place if workers show signs of heat-related illness
- Train supervisors and workers about the hazards of heat exposure and its prevention
- Provide all new workers with a 1-2-week period of work restrictions until they become acclimatized to the heat
- Provide frequent rest breaks
- Closely monitor employees for symptoms of heat stress
- Have employees ‘buddy up’ to watch each other for signs of heat stress
Listen to the full report below:
Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, healthyasheville@ashevillefm.org