Ardaman & Associates, Inc. A Tetra Tech Company Newsletter May 5, 2017 The Heat is on the way! Workers who are exposed to hot environments may be at risk of heat stress. Exposure to extreme heat can result in occupational illnesses and injuries. Heat stress can result in heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, or heat rashes. Heat can also increase the risk of injuries to workers as it may result in sweaty palms, fogged-up safety glasses, and dizziness. Burns may also occur as a result of accidental contact with hot surfaces or steam when a worker looses focus due to a heat disorder. Examples of workers at risk of heat stress include outdoor workers and workers in hot environments such as field technicians, drillers, and engineers. Workers at greater risk of heat stress include those who are 65 years of age or older, are overweight, have heart disease or high blood pressure, or take medications that can result in complications for the employee working in extreme heat. Prevention of heat stress in workers is important. Workers should understand what heat stress is, how it affects their health and safety, and how it can be prevented. Here are the heat related disorders starting from severe (heat stroke) to early identifiers (heat cramps). Heat Stroke Heat stroke is the most serious heat-related disorder. It occurs when the body becomes unable to control its temperature: The body's temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool down. When heat stroke occurs, the body temperature can rise to 106 degrees Fahrenheit or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. Heat stroke can cause permanent disability or death if emergency treatment is not given. Symptoms Symptoms of heat stroke include: Hot, dry skin or profuse sweating Hallucinations Chills Throbbing headache High body temperature Confusion/dizziness Slurred speech Vomiting First Aid Take the following steps to treat a worker with heat stroke: Call 911 and notify supervisor. Move the worker to a cool shaded area. Cool the worker using methods such as: Soaking their clothes with water cool. Spraying, sponging, or showering them with water cool. Fanning their body. Placing icepacks under the arm pits or groin area. Inside this issue: Heat Disorders Page 1-3 LMSA Page 4 Ardaman Update Page 5 Quiz Page 6 Contact Information: Health & Safety Ardaman & Associates, Inc. Brett A. Buxbaum Orlando, FL P: (407) 855-3860 X 2413 Cell: (407)509-3085 BBuxbaum@ardaman.com Safety Question: How much water on average do you lose during heavy work activity outside in the heat each hour? A. 5 ounces B. 12 ounces C. 16 ounces D. 32 ounces Answer on page 4
Page 2 Heat Disorders Continued Heat Exhaustion Heat exhaustion is the body's response to an excessive loss of the water and salt, usually through excessive sweating. Workers most prone to heat exhaustion are those that are elderly, have high blood pressure, and those working in a hot environment. Symptoms Symptoms of heat exhaustion include: Heavy sweating Extreme weakness or fatigue Dizziness, confusion Nausea Clammy, moist skin Pale or flushed complexion Muscle cramps Slightly elevated body temperature Thirst First Aid Treat a worker suffering from heat exhaustion with the following: Have them rest in a cool, shaded or air-conditioned area. Have them slowly drink room temperature water. Have them rest until they feel better Heat Cramps Heat cramps usually affect workers who sweat a lot during strenuous activity. This sweating depletes the body's salt and water levels. Low salt levels in muscles causes painful cramps. Cramps may also be a symptom of heat exhaustion. Symptoms Symptoms of heat cramps include: Muscle pain or spasms usually in the abdomen, arms, or legs. First Aid Workers with heat cramps should: Stop all activity, and sit in a cool place. Slowly drink room temperature water. Do not return to strenuous work for a few hours after the cramps subside because further exertion may lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Recent studies have shown that drinking commercially available carbohydrate-electrolyte replacement liquids occasionally is effective in minimizing physiological disturbances during recovery and/or eating bananas. Seek medical attention if the worker experiences heat cramps symptoms and any of the following apply: The worker has heart problems. The worker is on a low-sodium diet. The cramps do not subside within one hour. IF IT S NOT SAFE, STOP.DO IT THE SAFE WAY
Page 3 Heat Disorders Continued General Heat Safety Prevention Tips Use general ventilation, cooling fans, and evaporative cooling whenever possible; Shield heat producing equipment; Drink water steadily before and during work in the heat: Drink about 16 ounces before starting and 5 to 7 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes during hot work activities. On average we lose 1 quart of water per hour in hot conditions. Eat well-balanced meals, avoiding heavy or hot food, Eat smaller meals before work activity. Avoid caffeine and alcohol or large amounts of sugar. Work at a steady pace minimizing overexertion; Know your own limits and ability to work safely in heat; Wear light-colored, loose-fitting, breathable clothing cotton is good. Take breaks in cool shade. Work in the shade when possible. Find out from your health care provider if your medications and heat don t mix. Know that equipment such as respirators or work suits can increase heat stress. Take fast action for symptoms of heat cramps, exhaustion, or heat stroke. What Does Urine Color Say About Your Hydration? Urine color says a lot about our hydration status. Generally, the lighter the color, the more hydrated you are. But why is that? Well, dehydration is caused when the volume of water in the body is depleted. And when we re dehydrated, our kidneys, which filter waste, tell the body to retain water. Therefore, we have less water in our urine, which causes it to become more concentrated and darker. This chart can help you determine if you re hydrated. It starts with normal, well-hydrated colors. But as you move down the list, dehydration becomes more severe; below the red line indicates dehydration. Understand the Symptoms of Dehydration Recognizing colors can be a helpful indicator, especially if you notice the change in color while other symptoms of dehydration are present. Dehydration symptoms include: Headache Thirst Light-headedness Dry mouth, dry nose Muscle Cramps Fewer trips to the bathroom Irritability/Confusion *Of course, abnormal urine color may indicate a health issue other than dehydration. Talk to your doctor if you re experiencing abnormal urine color.
Page 4 Last minute safety assessments (LMSAs) are one of the most important tools in the behavior toolbox. If performed correctly, an LMSA can prevent almost any type of loss or near loss. In fact an LMSA can prevent 98% of all losses or near losses by addressing the personal or job factors involved. There are three steps involved in the performance of an LMSA. Step 1 - ASSESS The Assess step requires employees to ask two questions: What could go wrong? What s the worst thing that could happen? The goal of this step is to identify potential hazards before they happen. The employee should also identify the potential result if something was to go wrong. Employees should think about the personal consequences of an accident. Step 2 - LAST MINUTE SAFETY ASSESSMENTS The analyze step requires that employees recall the hazards identified during the Assess step and ask two more questions relating to those hazards: Do I have the proper training to perform the job correctly? Do I have the proper tools and equipment to perform the job correctly? These two questions go straight to the root causes of incidents. When asking question 1, the employee should decide if they have the proper training and/or knowledge to perform the job correctly. Question 2, relates to the job factors and encourages the employee to review the equipment and procedures to ensure they are sufficient. Step 3 ACT! Once the employee can answer yes to both questions in step 2 he or she can move on to step three and act to ensure safe operations. The actions will include following the JSA and using the proper equipment. If the answer to either question in step 2 is no, then employee should either act to solve the problem or should contact someone who has the ability to affect change in the operation. LMSAs should be performed by employees throughout the day. Specifically, employees should use the LMSA tools when starting a new task, when changing tasks throughout the day, when conditions change, etc. The general rule is that LMSAs should be performed All the time, everywhere. Safety Audits: Identified Hazards from 28 Safety audits conducted in the month of March/April. PPE: Employee was observed not wearing safety vest while working in the woods. High visibility safety vests should be worn while drilling and walking in wooded areas to help identify where workers are located. Fall Hazard: Employee failed to place the chain around the top of the work platform and had another worker toss equipment up to them. Guard rails/chains must be in place to provide protections from falls from platforms, or a personal fall arrest system must be worn. Never throw tools or equipment; always hand them to another worker or put them in another transport device to safely move them. PPE: Employee was observed not wearing gloves and safety glasses while stripping concrete cylinder molds. Review JSAs prior to tasks for direction on proper PPE to be worn. PPE is the last line of defense in protecting a worker. PPE: Employee was observed not wearing gloves while handling grout. Nitrile gloves at a minimum should always be worn when handling potentially dangerous materials. Refer to the chemical s SDS sheet for additional information and guidance for PPE. Answer: D Drink about 16 ounces before starting and 5 to 7 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes during hot work activities. On average we lose 1 quart of water per hour in hot conditions each day
Page 5 Injury Incidents: Ardaman Update Employee was watching the drilling contractor as they were priming the trash pump and flushing it with water. The driller opened up the top valve and water sprayed everywhere. Our employee had a few drops of fresh pond water get behind his safety glasses into his right eye. Employee immediately opened an eye wash bottle and rinsed his eye. When monitoring drilling activities, establish a safe exclusion zone away from drilling activities and potential struck by hazards. First Aid Only. Employee had sand go into his eyes while breaking drill rods. While breaking the rod, a pocket of air was trapped in the rod. When the rod was separated, the air pocket was forced up out of the pipe blowing sand and mud into the air. The employee was looking forward at the time, allowing the sand to access the gap under the safety glasses. There were 2 small holes found in the suction house at the mud tub that was causing air to be drawn in causing the air pockets to form. Inspection of our tools and equipment prior to use are crucial in helping to reduce exposures to hazards. First Aid Only. Vehicle/Equipment Incidents: Employee was traveling along the interstate when he began approaching traffic. Our driver slowed down and was struck from behind by an inattentive driver. Employee was pulling out from under a covered area of the hotel in the parking lot. Our driver turned right while passing a column and struck a bollard on the right side of the vehicle that was protecting the column. Always perform a walk around the vehicle prior to moving a it. When a spotter is available, have them guide the driver when moving in tight spaces or if visibility is reduced. When moving a vehicle by yourself, stop and get out of the vehicle to verify distances from objects to ensure clearance. A Drill crew was grouting a borehole and felt the rig and ground start to move and quickly moved away from the rig. Within seconds, a sinkhole developed beneath the rig. The rig then slid in backwards, resting on the derrick into the hole. When key indicators suggest of potential hazards, always ensure the safety of all workers in the area. Near Miss Miss/ Hazard Identification: Highlighted Near Misses from 22 reports received for the Month of April. Employee was on a job site and a haul truck operator that was driving with a full load along the established service road fell asleep at the wheel. The truck ran into the berm along the shoulder of the road and came to a stop. Maintaining awareness at all times on a job site is extremely important as actions by others could affect you. To help maintain alertness consider trying the following 20-20-20 rule of safety in your work environment. The 20-20-20 rule suggests: That after every 20 minutes you should temporarily stop your task Look around you for at least 20 seconds Look around your work area at least 20 feet away. Employee observed a large erosion area on the side of a new road on the job site. The erosion was located over a large HDPE culvert pipe and presented a potential failure zone for vehicles traveling along the roadway. Our employee notified the site safety contact and placed orange snow fencing around the area to identify it for repair. Employee observed an asphalt truck that struck a concrete filled bollard around the sampling rack on the site. The sampling rack is an area that continuously has workers in the area sampling the materials in each truck, and our workers had just exited the area earlier. The bollards were put in place to protect the workers. Even when a safe zone is created, always leave the area when you are not required to be in the location and make eye contact with operators to ensure they see you. Employee observed that technicians had left sample bags in the walkway between the concrete and soils lab areas. This created a trip hazard for anyone entering or exiting the area. The bags were cleared from the area, and a designated drop-off area was established. Communications were sent out to all technicians about the observed hazard along with the location of the drop-off area that had been established for future use.
May 2017 Safety Quiz Please circle the letter of the answer that fits best. Some answers can be found in the newsletter 1. If you notice a potentially hazardous situation or condition, you should take the time to correct the situation and report it. A. True B. False 2. To help maintain alertness in your work environment, what rule of safety should you follow. A. 10-20-30 B. 30-30-30 C. 20-20-20 D. All the above 3. The best thing to drink to prevent heat stress is? A. Soft Drinks B. Water C. Alcohol D. Gatorade 4. Heat stroke occurs when body temperature rises to dangerous levels. A. False B. True 5. Symptoms of heat stroke include high body temperature, vomiting,? A. Cool, dry skin B. Hot, dry skin C. Cool, clammy skin D. Hot, clammy skin 6. Symptoms of heat exhaustion include? A. Cool and clammy skin B. Headaches C. Dizziness D. All the above 7. When heat stroke symptoms occur, you should immediately? A. Drink cold water B. Call for medical attention and move worker to a cool place C. Take a nap D. Nothing 8. How often should a Last Minute Safety Assessment be performed? A. Through out the work day B. Starting a new task C. When conditions change D. All the above 9. You should always consult your physician to check if you are taking any medications that can become problematic if you are working outdoors in the heat and notify your supervisor. A. True B. False 10. If an employee is showing signs of heat exhaustion you should immediately? A. Move the worker to a shaded or cooler area B. Have the employee drink small amounts of room temperature water C. Have the employee rest until they fell better D. All the above 11. What precautions should be taken to reduce the likelihood of a heat related disorder from occurring when working in the heat? A. Wear light colored loose fitting clothing B. Drink at least 1 cup of water every 15-20 minutes C. Take breaks in the shade or air conditioning D. All the above All Ardaman employees must complete the quiz and turn it in by the end of each month. For those individuals who cannot attend the monthly safety meeting please complete the quiz and submit it to your supervisor for approval. These will be sent to HR/H&S. All others must submit the quiz at the designated location at your office. The supervisor only needs to sign the quiz if you are unable to attend the meeting, you must explain the reason in the box below: Print Name Here Sign Name Here Date Supervisor Print Name Here Supervisor Sign Name Here Date