b'22 Safety (continued from pg 21)ithastheadvantageofcalculatingtheheatindexon your company doctor or a specialist you MUST and warning level for wherever your employees willMAINTAIN DOCUMENTATION OF THEIR OPINION be working. On a personal level, I still feel that theon which you are relying.five steps for heat illness prevention plan listed in the 2012 NIOSH Criteria Document are the best to employNext, you need to develop a work/rest regimen. toprotectyouremployeesfromheatillnessinjury.This work/rest regimen should be based on the heat Those steps are acclimatization, hydration, work/rest,index and should reasonably protect employees from cooling-off areas, and training. I am not talking aboutdeveloping heat illness symptoms. Here you can rely givinglipservicetothesefivecomponents,butIontheOSHAHeatToolAppandadoptwhatever am suggesting that now is the time to establish andwork/restregimenthatmaybeshown,depending enforce a meaningful heat illness prevention program.upon the heat index. Or again, you can go to your In fact, it may be a good idea to use both the NIOSHcompany physician and have him/her work with you components alonf with the Heat Tool App, wherein thetodevelopawork/restregimentobeimplemented App can be used to assist you in better understandingdepending upon the heat index. Finally, you can look how to accomplish the five NIOSH steps. I will stateattheNIOSH,NOAAorOSHAwebsitestoreview this again, but no matter which approach you take,their recommendations for a work/rest regimen. Once YOU CANNOT RELY ON EACH EMPLOYEE TO TAKEagain,youcannotrelyonemployeestovoluntarily THE NECESSARY STEPS TO PROTECT HIMSELF/ take rest breaks on the schedule you have set out. HERSELF FROM HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES. YOUIt will be your site supervisors responsibility to see MUST ENSURE THAT YOUR SITE SUPERVISORSthat employees take rest breaks as they are required ARE ENSURING EACH EMPLOYEE IS COMPLYINGtounderyourheatillnesspreventionprogram, WITHYOURHEATILLNESSPREVENTIONdepending upon the heat index. I suggest it may be PROGRAM! agoodideathat,inadditiontoanyscheduleyou Dedicated to keeping its members at the forefront in their industryestablish, you remind employees anytime they begin Youneedtohaveaproceduretoacclimateto feel the adverse effects of working in a high heat employeestoahighheatindexenvironment.Youindex environment they report to their supervisor and alsoneedcriteriaastowhenanemployeeneedsenter a cooling off area for an additional rest break.to be acclimated to a high heat index environment. I suggest that acclimation should occur with any newThenextcomponentofyourheatillness employee, or existing employee who has been awaypreventionprogramshouldaddresshydration.AsI from the high heat index environment for more thanhave reviewed heat illness prevention programs for a week. This would include any new employee and/ many employers through the various trade association or any temp employees that you have to bring to asafetyrecognitionawardprogramswehave,Isee jobsite.Thereareseveralwaystodevelopyourvery few employers who have established any type of own acclimation program. You can check the OSHAhydration schedule for their employees based on the website for a recommended procedure for acclimatingheat index. Most programs I have reviewed address employeestoahighheatindexenvironment,orhydration by the employer stating it will see that at least youcanspeakwithyourcompanydoctororanone quart of cool water per hour for each employee is occupationalmedicinespecialisttodeterminetheon the jobsite at the start of each workday. There is no bestwaytoacclimateanemployeetoahighheatmention in their program regarding when or how much index environment. Or, finally, you can go from yourwater should be consumed or how the amount and own experience and develop your own program. I willfrequency of consumption will vary depending upon tell you that if you take this latter approach, you shouldthe heat index. Again, the rule of thumb going back still pass the program you develop past your companyseveral years is that an employee should consume doctor or an occupational medicine doctor and haveeight ounces of cool water every twenty to twenty-five them either approve it or suggest changes so that youminutes for a moderate heat index. The key here is to have a solid program. Remember, anytime you relyremind employees that they should drink, on whatever The InsulatorJuly 2024'