What is Heat Exhaustion?

What is Heat Exhaustion? 7 Things you should know.
Areas all over the world have experienced historic highs in extreme heat. Even when temperatures hover near the norms, heat poses a dangerous threat that can sometimes be fatal. Close to seven hundred people each year die from heat issues. You probably have heard a lot about heat stroke, but heat exhaustion is just as critical and requires your attention. What is heat exhaustion? How can you manage it in your workplace? We will explore this topic in the article below.
What Is Heat Exhaustion?
Heat exhaustion is a condition that occurs when your body cannot effectively get rid of heat. People experience heat exhaustion with a variety of symptoms. It comes about in work settings when the heat is stifling, or there’s poor cooling or ventilation. Your company should undergo heat illness training so you can recognize the signs and understand how to respond.
1. Recognize the Signs of Heat Exhaustion.
One of the major parts of compliance training for heat exhaustion is understanding the signs and symptoms. These signs vary depending on the degree of heat and the person experiencing it. When a person is enduring heat stress, it is likely that they will be irritable, nauseous, and may experience a headache. Heat exhaustion might also come with weakness, copious amounts of perspiration, cool and clammy skin, and extreme thirst. Use a touchless thermometer to take your temperature. People undergoing heat exhaustion may also tend to deal with elevations in core and body temperature.
2. Know the Effects
For many, getting out of the sun, hydrating, and resting is enough to overcome heat exhaustion. For others, the symptoms are more pronounced and may require further attention. The effects of heat exhaustion are critical and can pose a danger to your workplace. When left unchecked, heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke. Heat strokes are life-threatening and send your body temperature about 104 degrees and greater. It may require medical intervention or hospitalization. These effects are spelled out in heat illness course materials that companies must fulfill to remain compliant.
3. Ramp Up your Safety Training
Safety training is the great equalizer that can keep you and the people in your workplace from succumbing to heat exhaustion. Workers, Supervisors, and professionals that work in hot and hazardous environments must be trained. This includes training on preventing heat hazards from becoming overwhelming. You should be trained on first and recovery procedures. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) course teaches you what to do and how to report the incident to emergency personnel. When you act quickly, you can save someone from a potentially life-threatening situation.
4. Manage Your Workplace Settings
Controlling the variables in your workplace is the easiest way to keep heat illness from becoming an issue. If you are working indoors, make sure that there is plenty of cooling and ventilation. This could involve industrial fans or a full-fledged air conditioning system. Hang signs reminding people to hydrate and keep plenty of water and electrolytes on hand that workers can use. Appoint trained supervisors to enforce these sorts of protocols and recognize the signs that someone is experiencing heat exhaustion.
5. Follow Heat Prevention Practices
Managing frequent breaks is the best practice you can follow when working in hot conditions. Taking regular breaks from the heat prevents overheating and allows people the chance to hydrate and replace fluids. Set up designated break areas that have shade, fans, air conditioning units, water, and other things to keep people cool and comfortable.                                   6. Keep Up with your Training
You also need to make sure that you and everyone you work with are trained on how to deal with heat illness. This is not just a matter of information; you must also get trained so that you can stay in compliance. For instance, get OSHA construction training if your company constructs or manages building, repairs, and renovations, or work on those types of sites. These workplace heat illness credentials will help you prevent it from occurring and know exactly how to act whenever it does. Figure out what certifications you are obligated to follow and find a provider that has these training courses. In many situations, you can take the course online, which cuts out a lot of the red tape and stress. Once you register, you can immediately start working on the course load, and before you know it, you are testing for your certification.
7. Get the Help of Professionals That Can Offer Oversight
Compliance professionals can provide your company with an audit to make sure you are following all heat illness-related protocols. They can assess your knowledge of the condition and make sure that the appropriate parties are trained and informed. By getting this audit from a third-party, you might be able to prevent yourself from being found out of compliance by a real audit. Many of the same companies that offer training can help you with this so that your company has the knowledge and oversight needed to deal with these conditions.