By Andi Anderson
With extreme heat forecasted across much of the United States, outdoor workers are at high risk of heat-related illnesses. Salah Issa, a farm safety expert and assistant professor at the University of Illinois, shares important advice on how outdoor workers can stay safe.
Workers face several dangers when working in high temperatures, including long hours in the sun, physical labor, limited access to shade and water, and work conditions that discourage breaks.
Many farmworkers, especially those paid by piece-rate, hesitate to stop for water or rest. There is also no federal OSHA heat standard, though some states have their own rules.
Issa warns that even a small amount of dehydration—just a 1% body weight loss—can increase core body temperature. Dehydration reduces plasma volume and electrolytes, leading to heat-related illnesses such as heat rash, cramps, heat syncope (fainting), heat exhaustion, and even heat stroke, which can be fatal.
The early warning signs start with heat rash and cramps. Heat exhaustion follows when the body struggles to maintain its core temperature, causing fever and weakness.
If left unchecked, it can escalate to heat stroke, a life-threatening condition marked by confusion, fainting, seizures, and dangerously high body temperatures.
To prevent these risks, Issa advises employers and workers to follow basic safety practices. These include giving clear safety instructions, encouraging workers to drink 8 ounces of water every 15 minutes, providing shade and rest breaks, and gradually introducing new or returning workers to heavy work in the heat.
Using a buddy system, adjusting work hours to cooler times, and ensuring water and bathrooms are close by are also key strategies.
Issa also emphasizes the need for better policies, like a national heat safety standard, mandatory acclimatization, stronger enforcement of sanitation rules, and protection for all workers, regardless of immigration status.
Photo Credit: istock-pixeldigits
Categories: Illinois, Rural Lifestyle