The following has been “borrowed” from the O.S.H.A. website.
Working Outdoors in Warm Climates
Hot summer months pose special hazards for outdoor workers who must protect themselves against heat, sun exposure, and
other hazards. Employers and employees should know the potential hazards in their workplaces and how to manage them.
Sun
Sunlight contains ultraviolet (UV) radiation,which causes premature aging
of the skin, wrinkles, cataracts, and skin cancer. There
are no safe UV rays or safe suntans. Be especially
careful in the sun if you burn easily, spend a lot of time outdoors, or have any of the following physical features: numerous, irregular, or large moles; freckles;
fair skin; or blond, red, or light brown hair. Here’s how
to block those harmful rays:
• Cover up. Wear loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
• Use sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30. Be sure
to follow application
directions on the bottle or tube.
• Wear a hat. A wide brim hat, not a baseball cap, works best
because it protects the neck, ears, eyes, forehead,
nose, and
scalp.
• Wear UV-absorbent sunglasses (eye protection).
Sunglasses don’t
have to be expensive,
but they should block
99 to 100
percent of UVA and UVB radiation.
Before you buy
sunglasses,
read the product tag or label.
• Limit exposure. UV rays are most intense
between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
OSHA Card—Protecting Yourself
in the Sun www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3166.pdf
Heat
The combination of heat and humidity can
be a serious health threat during the summer months.
If you work outside (for example, at a beach resort, on a farm, at a construction site) or in a kitchen, laundry,
or bakery you may be at increased risk for heat related illness.
So, take precautions. Here’s how:
• Drink small amounts of water frequently.
• Wear light-colored, loose-fitting, breathable clothing—cotton is
good.
• Avoid
caffeine and alcohol or large amounts of sugar.
• Work in
the shade.
• 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.
There are three kinds of major heat-related disorders—heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. You need to know how to
recognize each one and what first aid treatment is necessary.
OSHA Heat Stress Fact Sheet:
www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_Hurricane_Facts/heat_stress.pdf
OSHA Heat Stress Quick Card:
www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3154.pdf
Lyme Disease/Tick-Borne Diseases
These illnesses (i.e., Rocky Mountain spotted fever) are
transmitted to people by bacteria from bites of infected deer (blacklegged)
ticks. In the case of Lyme disease, most, but not all, victims will develop a “bulls-eye” rash. Other signs and symptoms may be non-specific and similar
to flu-like symptoms such as fever, lymph node swelling, neck stiffness, generalized fatigue, headaches, migrating joint aches, or muscle aches. You are at increased risk if your work outdoors involves construction, landscaping, forestry, brush clearing, land surveying, farming, railroads, oil fields, utility lines, or park and wildlife management. Protect yourself with these precautions:
• Wear long sleeves; tuck pant legs into socks or boots.
• Wear high boots or closed shoes that cover your feet completely.
• Wear a hat.
• Use tick repellants, but not on your face.
• Shower after work. Wash and dry your work clothes at high
temperature.
• Examine your body for ticks after work. Remove any attached
ticks promptly and carefully with fine-tipped tweezers by
gripping the tick. Do not use petroleum jelly, a hot match, or nail
polish to remove the tick. OSHA Lyme Disease Fact
Sheet:
www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_LymeFacts/lymefac.pdf
West Nile Virus
West Nile virus is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. Mild
symptoms include fever, headache, and body aches, occasionally
with a skin rash on the trunk of the body and swollen
lymph glands. Symptoms of severe infection include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis.
You can protect yourself from mosquito bites in these
ways:
• Apply Picaridin or insect repellent with DEET to exposed skin.
• Spray clothing with repellents containing DEET or permethrin.
(Note: Do not spray permethrin directly onto exposed skin.)
• Wear long sleeves, long pants, and socks.
• Be extra vigilant at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are
most active.
• Get rid of sources of standing water (used tires, buckets) to
reduce or eliminate mosquito breeding areas.
OSHA West Nile Virus Fact
Sheet:
www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_Hurricane_Facts/west_nile_virus.pdf
OSHA Safety and Health Information Bulletin:“Workplace Precautions
Against West Nile Virus”
:
www.osha.gov/dts/shib/WestNileVirus_8-29-03.html
Poison Ivy-Related Plants
Poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac have poisonous sap (urushiol) in their roots, stems, leaves and fruits. The urushiol may
be deposited on the skin by direct contact with the plant or by contact with contaminated objects, such as clothing,
shoes, tools, and animals.
Approximately 85 percent of the general population will develop an allergy if exposed to poison ivy, oak or sumac.
Forestry workers and firefighters who battle forest fires have developed rashes or lung
irritations from inhaling the smoke of burning plants.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, tucked
into boots. Wear
cloth
or leather gloves.
• Apply barrier creams to exposed skin.
• Educate yourself on the identification of poison
ivy, oak, and
sumac plants.
• Educate yourself on signs and symptoms of contact
with
poisonous
ivy, oak, and sumac.
• Keep rubbing alcohol accessible. It removes
the oily resin up to
30 minutes
after exposure.
OSHA Web Page—Poisonous Plants: www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/sawmills/poison.html
