Local businesses follow OSHA guidelines, have emergency plans while working in the heat
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - With the triple digit temperatures, you need to of course be taking extra precautions outside. This is especially true if you're working.
"Typically, we start our days around 6:00, 6:30 in the morning that way we can get out whenever it's not as hot," Daddy Shark Pools Owner Krys Ferguson said.
Ferguson and his team work outside year round and have built up a tolerance to the heat. This is their busiest time of the year, typically doing close to 100 pools a week.
They stay hydrated and take frequent breaks.
"When we go to work on a pool we're typically there for 30 to 45 minutes and then it takes us 10 minutes to get to the next pool," Ferguson said. "Maybe 15. So we take breaks in between pools by doing this."
All of this falling in line with OSHA's "Water. Rest. Shade." campaign which recommends drinking water every 15 minutes, as well as taking those frequent breaks in shade.
Additionally, the agency urges companies to have an emergency plan in place to respond to signs of heat-related illness:
- Abnormal thinking or behavior
- Slurred Speech
- Seizures
- Loss of consciousness
If you see someone experiencing this:
- Call 911 immediately
- Cool them off right away with water or ice
- Stay with them until help arrives
If you want to know how dangerous your working environment is, OSHA has launched an app that calculates the heat index for your location and risk level. It's called "OSHA-NIOSH Heat Safety Tool."
