NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — This heat is no joke this week, with the heat index reaching the triple digits.
Doctors recommend you get inside to cool off during this heat wave, but there are some professions where that's not possible. Everything from construction work to lawn care service.
For Darnell Pitts, mowing grass is like meditation to him despite the hot weather.
"When I’m out here it’s hot but as long as I’m drinking something, I got my tunes on. I do what I do," Pitts said. He owns Rescue 5 Renovation and Lawncare.
Regardless of whether it’s a real scorcher, Pitts and his team still have to provide a service. Their customers still expect the work to be done.
"The big yards — I try to start them in the morning time and then small ones we can zip through them. We can get in and out so we don’t have to be out in the hottest point of the day," Pitts said.
Since Pitts is the boss, he has the responsibility of making sure his employees take care of their health, too.
"My guys will try to be like moving sluggish, or they sit down in the shade, but I don’t see a water with them,” Pitts said.
Dr. Bryan Doherty, a cardiologist at TriStar Centennial Medical Center, said being exposed to heat for long periods increases risks for everybody.
"You're losing water through sweat and heart rate is up. Blood pressure is down. The longer you’re exposed and harder your working in this environment, the more difficult it is for your body to keep up," Dr. Doherty said.
Pitt — being a former high school athlete — knows taking breaks and staying hydrated is the best way to stay safe.
"Taking a break is important. If you feel like you’re getting overheated then go sit down for a second. You can just sit down. You need some water to help hydrate your body to get you back feeling how you should be feeling," Pitts said.
Pitts says the last thing he wants is someone passing out, so he’s going to do all he can to keep his employees safe.
Heat stress is a recognized hazard by Tennessee OSHA. However, there is no rule mandating that specific measures be taken.
A spokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Workforce and Labor says employers should use combinations of the following to help their employees cope with the high temperatures:
Engineering controls
- Air conditioning (such as an air-conditioned crane or construction equipment cabs, air conditioning in break rooms).
- Increased general ventilation.
- Cooling fans.
- Local exhaust ventilation at points of high heat production or moisture (such as exhaust hoods in laundry rooms).
- Reflective shields to redirect radiant heat.
- Insulation of hot surfaces (such as furnace walls).
- Elimination of steam leaks.
Work Practices
- Employers should have an emergency plan in place that specifies what to do if a worker has signs of heat-related illness and ensures that medical services are available if needed.
- Employers should take steps that help workers become acclimatized (gradually build up exposure to heat), especially workers who are new to working in the heat or have been away from work for a week or more. Gradually increase workloads and allow more frequent breaks during the first week of work.
- Workers must have adequate potable (safe for drinking) water close to the work area and should drink small amounts frequently.
- Rather than being exposed to heat for extended periods, workers should, wherever possible, be permitted to distribute the workload evenly over the day and incorporate work/rest cycles. (See About Work/Rest Schedules.)
- If possible, physical demands should be reduced during hot weather or heavier work scheduled for cooler times of the day.
- Rotating job functions among workers can help minimize overexertion and heat exposure.
- Workers should watch out for each other for symptoms of heat-related illness and administer appropriate first aid to anyone who is developing a heat-related illness.
- In some situations, employers may need to conduct physiological monitoring of workers.
Personal Protective Equipment
- Workers should be aware that the use of certain personal protective equipment (e.g., certain types of respirators and impermeable clothing) can increase the risk of heat-related illness.
- In some situations, special cooling devices can protect workers in hot environments:
- In some workplaces, insulated gloves, insulated suits, reflective clothing, or infrared-reflecting face shields may be needed.
- Thermally conditioned clothing might be used for extremely hot conditions; for example:
- A garment with a self-contained air conditioner in a backpack.
- A garment with a compressed air source that feeds cool air through a vortex tube.
- A plastic jacket whose pockets can be filled with dry ice or containers of ice.
Training
- Workers and supervisors should be trained about the hazards of heat exposure and their prevention. Topics should include:
- Risk factors for heat-related illness.
- Different types of heat-related illnesses, including how to recognize common signs and symptoms.
- Heat-related illness prevention procedures.
- Importance of drinking small quantities of water often.
- Importance of acclimatization, how it is developed, and how your worksite procedures address it.
- Importance of immediately reporting signs or symptoms of heat-related illness to the supervisor.
- Procedures for responding to possible heat-related illnesses.
- Procedures to follow when contacting emergency medical services.
- Procedures to ensure that clear and precise directions to the work site will be provided to emergency medical services
