Heat Related Illness: The Facts - CAODC Member Portal



HEAT ILLNESS PREVENTION PROGRAMHeat Related Illness: The FactsHeat related illnesses are influenced by several factors, such as: climate and environmental conditions, demands of the work, clothing, and human factors. Environmental factors include air temperature, air movement, humidity, and radiant heat. Human Factors include such factors as age, weight, gender, fitness level, medical condition(s), metabolic heat, diseases, water and salt balance, and medication the employees are taking. The human body regulates high temperatures by two primary mechanisms: blood flow and sweating. Blood is circulated to the skin, increasing the skin temperature, and allowing the body to give off the excess heat through the skin. Sweating occurs when the body senses the heat loss due to increased blood circulation is not enough to cool the body. Evaporation of the sweat cools the skin and eliminates large quantities of heat from the body. If the body is unable to release excess heat, it will store it. When this happens, the body's core temperature rises and the heart rate increases. If the body continues to store heat the person may begin to have difficulty concentrating, may become irritable and lose the desire to drink. Listed in the table below are common heat disorders with the accompanying symptoms and appropriate first aid measures.Glossary Heat Cramps: Painful muscle spasms, as a result of exposure to excess heat. This occurs when a worker drinks a lot of water, but does not replace salts lost from sweating. Heat Syncope: A Weakness, fatigue and fainting due to loss of salt and water in sweat and exercise in the heat. Heat Exhaustion: A condition usually caused by loss of body water because of exposure to excess heat. Symptoms include headache, tiredness, nausea, and sometimes fainting.Heat Rash: Skin irritation caused by excessive sweating during hot, humid weather. Heat Stress: Relative amount of thermal strain from the environment. Heat Stroke: A serious disorder resulting from exposure to excess heat. It results from sweat suppression and increased storage of body heat. Symptoms include hot dry skin, high temperature, mental confusion, convulsions, and coma. Heatstroke is fatal if not treated properly. Signs, Symptoms & ResponseConditionSigns/SymptomsFirst Aid ResponseHeat Cramps Painful muscle spasmsHeavy sweating Increase water intakeSalted water intake if possible (0.5 salt solution) Rest in shade/cool environment Heat Syncope Brief fainting Blurred vision Increase water intakeRest in shade/cool environment Dehydration Fatigue Reduced movement Increase water intakeSalted water intake if possible (0.5 salt solution) Rest in shade/cool environment Heat Exhaustion Pale and clammy skinPossible faintingWeakness, fatigueNausea, dizzinessHeavy sweatingBlurred vision Body temperature slightly elevated Lie down in cool environment Water intake Loosen clothing Place ice bag on back of neckCall 911 if symptoms continue once in cool environmentHeat Stroke Cessation of sweatingSkin hot and dryRed faceHigh body temperatureUnconsciousnessCollapse Convulsions, confusion or erratic behavior = life threatening condition Medical EmergencyCall 911 immediatelyMove victim to shade, immerse in water Place ice bag on back of neckGeneral Program ControlsThe Heat Illness Prevention Program will run between the months of May and September, but can be modified as needed based on the temperatures in the spring and fall.The Hierarchy of Controls should be followed when evaluating controls for preventing heat illness. As a general rule, any heavy work that can be slowed, transferred, or rescheduled from the hottest hours of the day to a cooler part of the day should be accommodated (ex. dawn, dusk, night), where possible, practical, and operationally allowable. As a matter of practice, non-essential work should be deferred to these cooler hours, where possible. Where this is not possible, or practical, increased rest cycles shall be implemented to ensure hydration and cool down periods.Where practical, shading can also be considered with well positioned tarps, portable tents or canopies.When personnel are new to outdoor work or are returning from an absence of 2 weeks or more, it will take time for them to fully acclimate fully to hotter outdoor temperatures, sometimes between 3-5 days. To accommodate this period, where practical and operations permitting, workloads should be modified to accommodate the heavier work in the cooler hours of the day (dawn, dusk, night…etc.). Alternating work/rest cycles amongst the crew should also be done to ensure that workloads be shared amongst the whole crew and that all employees receive equal rest periods, in shaded and/or air-conditioned break rooms. Rig Managers and Drillers should evaluate an employee’s physical condition when determining fitness to work in hot environments. Taking certain medications, energy drinks, energy supplements, lack of conditioning, obesity, and inadequate rest can increase susceptibility to heat rmation And Safety On Energy Drinks/Supplements/PowdersCaffeine is the major ingredient in most energy drinks—a 24-oz energy drink may contain as much as 500 mg of caffeine (similar to that in four or five cups of coffee). Energy drinks also may contain guarana (another source of caffeine sometimes called Brazilian cocoa), sugars, taurine, ginseng, B vitamins, glucuronolactone, yohimbe, carnitine, and bitter orange.SafetyLarge amounts of caffeine may cause serious heart and blood vessel problems such as heart rhythm disturbances and increases in heart rate and blood pressure. Caffeine also may harm cardiovascular and nervous?systemsMany energy drinks contain as much as 25–50 g of simple sugars; this may be problematic for people who are diabetic or?prediabeticGuarana, commonly added to energy drinks, contains caffeine. Therefore, the addition of guarana increases the drink’s total caffeine?contentEnergy drink consumption may disrupt sleep patterns and may fuel risk-taking?behaviorCaffeine use may be associated with palpitations, anxiety, sleep problems, digestive problems, elevated blood pressure, diarrhea, and?dehydration.Rig Manager ResponsibilitiesThe following list of responsibilities for our Rig Managers has been developed to ensure consistency across the fleet in terms of how we manage heat illness prevention. Enforce mandatory “cool down” breaks during periods of high activity and high temperaturesProhibit the use of Energy Drinks/Energy supplements (ex. Monster, Red Bull, 5 Hour Rush powder…etc.) due to their elevated caffeine levels, that act as a diuretic and further dehydrate the body of water needed to sweat and maintain a healthy body temperature naturallyFor the same reason noted above, coffee, other caffeinated beverages (ex. tea, Coca Cola…etc.) and all soft drinks/soda should be limited at the rig and employees are encouraged to avoid them as much as possibleEnsure the availability of Pedialyte on all rigs for initial treatment of heat related illnessMaintain emphasis and raise awareness to managing hydration and heat stress prevention at rig, prior to and during rig moves, and in daily meetingsProvide shaded break areas where possible Maintain/Ensure ice chests at various locations have ample inventories of water and GatoradeCoach all employees to remain hydrated at a 3:1 ratio; 3 cups of water to 1 cup of GatoradeEncourage employees to wear suitable sun protection, with a minimum SPF 15 or higher to prevent skin burning and further skin dehydration.Encourage employees to wear hard hat sun shades or similar neck protection (wearable sun brims with neck protection)Employees ResponsibilitiesThe following list of responsibilities for our Employees has been developed to ensure consistency across the fleet in terms of how we manage heat illness preventionTake/Rotate with crew members for “cool down” breaks during periods of high activity and high temperaturesDo not use Energy Drinks/Energy supplements (ex. Monster, Red Bull, 5 Hour Rush powder…etc.) due to their elevated caffeine levels, that act as a diuretic and further dehydrate the body of water needed to sweat and maintain a healthy body temperature naturallyFor the same reason noted above, coffee, other caffeinated beverages (ex. tea, Coca Cola…etc.) and all soft drinks/soda should have limited intake at the rig and encourage your team-mates to avoid them as much as possibleMaintain emphasis and raise awareness to team-mates on hydration and heat stress prevention when working at rigIntervene on team-mates if not drinking 3;1 ratio of Gatorade to water or not taking on water throughout the dayOpenly discuss the urine sample colors to bring awareness to what the body is telling youWear suitable sun protection, with a minimum SPF 15 or higher to prevent skin burning and further skin dehydrationMaintain ice chests at various locations and ample inventories of water and Gatorade for the teamWear hard hat sun shades or similar neck protection (wearable sun brims with neck protection)If possible slightly Increase salt intake to food to for fluid retentionWhat is Your Urine Telling You?right28529600 ................
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