11 measures to protect workers from «heat stress»

The Abu Dhabi Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHAD) identified 11 measures that employers must take to protect open-site workers from heat stress, the most important of which is to schedule maintenance and repair work in warmer areas in cooler times and to enable staff to adapt by phasing out their exposure periods To work in hot weather, provide cool water or fluids to the workers.

The Center called for eight precautionary measures to be taken during working under the sun, the most prominent of which is to wear light and loose clothing to allow air to enter.

OSHAD, the new version of Safety in Freedom 2019, which promotes awareness of employers and workers' supervisors at open workplaces, launched the necessary measures to understand and implement the Thermal Stress Management Program to protect workers from the heat in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, With the decision to ban work in the afternoon, which is implemented by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, which prohibits the performance of work under the sun in open places (from 12:30 to 3:00 pm), which lasts until 15 September.

Workers working under the sun, especially in the summer, may be exposed to many occupational diseases and injuries, including heat stress (which may lead to heat stroke, heat exhaustion, fainting, cramping, and rash). , Pointing out that high temperatures may also lead to injuries among workers through sweating hands and dizziness.

The center pointed out that some of the most vulnerable workers who suffer from heat stress, who work in open workplaces such as construction workers, cleaners, agricultural workers, stressed the importance of providing employers with the tools and tools necessary to understand the effects of heat stress and prevention. From it, take action to protect workers from heat stress by providing periods of rest and water permanently and shaded areas.

According to the Safety Safety Program Manual, employers must take 11 measures to protect workers from heat stress, including scheduling maintenance and repair in hot areas in cooler times, scheduling heat work at times of low temperatures, Empower workers to cope with the chronological periods of exposure to work in hot weather, reduce the physical requirements that workers must meet, use additional workers or assign more workers to perform tasks that require physical effort.

The list of preventive measures included: providing cool water or fluids to the workers, avoiding drinks containing large amounts of sugar, providing water breaks, providing cool areas for resting, monitoring workers at risk of heat stress, and providing training Which is required to deal with heat stress, providing information about "risks to workers, methods of prevention and monitoring of symptoms, and the importance of monitoring the worker himself and his colleagues at work to monitor symptoms, treatment and personal protective equipment."

The guide also identified eight precautionary measures that open site workers should comply with, especially during sun-work, to prevent heat stress. They should wear light-colored and loose clothing to allow for airflow, such as cotton clothes, Preventing airflow, and then gradual work from light to hard, as well as scheduling hard work in the cooler times of the day, taking more breaks in times of high temperature and humidity , So that the rest in shaded areas or cool area if possible.

The precautionary measures also included taking care of frequent drinking of water, drinking sufficient amounts of water that you could not feel thirsty, avoiding drinks containing caffeine, alcohol or large amounts of sugar, wearing protective clothing or personal protective equipment when needed, From the risk of thermal stress, and finally to monitor the worker for his physical condition and the condition of his co-workers.

Educational messages in several languages

The Abu Dhabi Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHAD) said that the most important objectives of the "Safety in Freedom" program are to provide the necessary information to the entities operating in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and have workers in places with high temperatures. Which are directly exposed to the sun, as well as information on the thermal processes carried out inside the work site such as ovens, ovens, and other high temperature processes.

The program also aims to help and guide employers to understand and implement the thermal stress management program and ensure proper control measures to protect workers from exposure to sunlight by providing an educational material for occupational safety and health practitioners, supervisors and workers, which will identify various responsibilities and procedures To avoid and avoid diseases caused by high temperatures, which form part of the thermal stress management program.

The program aims to provide educational messages for workers in several languages, and provide models for inspection and auditing of the employers to determine the requirements for work sites to reduce heat stress, in addition to raising awareness about diseases related to high temperatures and ways to prevent them.