How to Prevent Heat-Related Injuries While Working on Construction Sites
With more extended evenings and consistent conditions for work, you have got to be aware of heat-related injuries.
With the hot summer sun, a boom commences in the construction industry, allowing for a better opportunity to get work completed. With more extended evenings and consistent conditions for work, you have got to be aware of heat-related injuries. Increased exposure to the sun could directly affect one’s overall health. Prolonged or intense exposure to hot temperatures can cause some heat-related illnesses like heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat strokes. As your body works to cool down under extreme heat, blood rushes to the surface of your skin. This means less blood reaches your brain, organs, and muscles. This could interfere with both your physical and mental well-being and, in some cases, lead to danger. Keeping this in mind, those working in the concrete construction field should take correct precautions to prevent any heat-related injuries. Read on to learn more!
Heat-Related Illnesses
Heat exhaustion usually happens when the body loses a large amount of water and salt through excessive sweating, especially during hard physical labor and exercise. The loss of essential fluids could disturb circulation and interfere with someone’s brain function. Individuals who have lung, heart, or kidney issues might be susceptible to heat exhaustion. Heat cramps could strike when the body loses large amounts of salt and fluid, as in heat exhaustion. This loss, accompanied by the loss of other nutrients like magnesium and potassium, usually occurs during heavy exertion. Heat strokes, the most serious of all heat-related maladies, happen when the body suffers from intense and prolonged exposure to heat and loses the ability to cool off. In sustained heat, the part of the brain that usually regulates body temperatures malfunctions. This then decreases the body’s ability to sweat and, therefore, cool off.
Preventing All Heat-Related Injuries
Drink plenty and plenty of water before, during, and after you’re working on construction sites. This is important when it is hot out, and you exercise. Fluids like rehydration drinks and juices can help replace lost fluids, especially if you sweat more than usual. If you have to stand up for any length of time in a hot working environment, flex your leg muscles. This could prevent blood from pooling in your legs, which could lead to fainting. To prevent swelling, wear a support hose to help stimulate circulation while standing up for extended periods of time.
Avoid the Hottest Working Hours for Heat-Related Injuries
While it might not be possible, one of the top ways to prevent the risk of any heat-related injuries is to keep your work confined to the hours of the day when it isn’t as hot. Taking an extended break from noon to two is not always a possibility, but on the days when the temperature is scorching hot, it could be the difference between life and death.
Revitalize Your Business with G&M Services
G&M Services is proud of our employees and the dedication they have for safety in the workplace. We reward our employees for displaying positive safety practices. We incorporate weekly and monthly discussions and meetings to ensure that all involved know how to handle equipment and potentially risky situations during a project. We offer services in the way of concrete core-drilling and sawing, concrete scanning, Air Barriers, Firestop, and BIM Project Management and Coordination. To get started with us, call today at 410-787-8828 or visit our contact page. Follow the official company page today on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
