A heat wave currently is sweeping the nation from the Midwest to the east coast. Many states including North Carolina, Kansas and Illinois have experienced temperatures in the triple digits, according to MSNBC.com.
With the heat index rising and humidity levels at a record high the National Weather Service has issued heat advisories for many states. Even when advisories aren’t posted, landscape contractors should prepare their employees for the summer season to prevent such illnesses as hyperthermia, also known as heat stroke.
There are many known cases where landscape employees have suffered from heat stroke. In Michigan in 2002, a 30-year-old landscape mowing assistant was working on a job when he began to have problems breathing and later collapsed and died. When he reached the hospital, he had a temperature of 107.6 degrees.
During the summer season, Doug Gottes, fertilizer manager at A Green Lawn in Alpharetta, Ga., tries to get most of his work out of the way in the morning hours before it gets to hot.
“I tell my guys to pace themselves and know their limits,” Gottes says.
To help prevent heat-related illnesses The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) offers these recommendations:
1. Employers should ensure that supervisors/managers regularly monitor workers during periods of high heat stress/strain.
2. Have medical care providers identify workers who take medication or who have medical conditions that would predispose them to heat-related illnesses.
3. Train supervisors and employees regarding heat stress, heat strain and heat-related illnesses in early spring.
4. Ensure all employees are able to recognize the signs and symptoms of heat-related illness in themselves and in others.
5. Stress the importance of drinking nonalcoholic beverages before, during and after working in hot conditions.
6. Periodically remind workers of the signs of heat-related illness and of the importance of drinking copious amounts of water during hot conditions.
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