Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: HEAT

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to excessive levels of heat stress during the performance of their duties working on the paint lines and drying area. (a) Employee(s) working labor and masonry work on 09/03/98, exposed to 102 degrees Fahrenheit. Such exposure(s) may lead to the development of serious heat induced illness(es), such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heat syncope, heat rash and transient heat fatigue. (b) The estimated metabolic workload for employees doing labor and masonry work put them in the "moderate" workload category as correlated with the guidelines established by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The masonry work involves the manual laying of concrete blocks. Means of feasible abatement include, but may not be limited to: 1) Establishment of provisions for a work/rest regimen so that exposure time to high temperatures is decreased and/or the work rate is decreased. 2) Development of a formal heat stress program which incorporates: (a) a training program informing employees about the effects of heat stress, symptoms of heat-induced illnesses, and prevention of heat-induced illnesses; (b) use of heat stress instruments to monitor the work environment; (c) an acclimation program for new employees and employees returning from periods of absence of three or more days; (d) a screening program to identify health conditions aggravated by elevated temperatures; (e) provisions for providing cool drinking water and/or electrolytes; and, (f) provisions to provide rest areas with cooler temperatures.