World Fence News

42 • JULY 2019 • WORLD FENCE NEWS FASTENER CAPS for the fence industry ALL TYPES Snap-Caps, Tap-Caps, Kappets, Hex-Caps, Hinge Caps All colors and sizes available in small or large quantities Easy to order through PRO-DEC.COM Check us out! www.gatesandcontrols.com Seattle 800-548-2365 Sacramento 800-926-5520 Portland 800-204-7344 Serving You Since 1991 All the stuff you need! Wholesale to the Gate & Access Control Industry Corona 844-386-9797 Spokane 866-709-8869 Enjoy the Adventure! Subscribe to World Fence News Today! Call 800-231-0275 for info. THE HUMAN LINK by Jim Lucci Management Motivational Associates For the next two issues I have been asked to write about the dangers and some of the ways of avoiding such things as heat stress, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke, now that summer is upon us. This is simply cautionary. I am not offering medial advice; that should come from sources such as the American Red Cross and other agen- cies. With that said, perhaps the best place to start would be with some clarification of what the symptoms are and the definitions for the above men- tioned health issues. Heat stress occurs when the body's means of controlling its in- ternal temperature starts to fail. As well as air temperature, factors such as work rate, humidity, and clothing worn while working may lead to heat stress. Therefore, it may not be obvi- ous to someone passing through the work place that there is a risk of heat stress. More in a minute. Heat exhaustion is the next most serious health related problem. The signs and symptoms of heat exhaus- tion are headache, nausea, dizziness, weakness, irritability, confusion, thirst, heavy sweating, and a body temperature greater than 100.4 F. Heat stroke is the most serious heat related health problem. Heat stroke occurs when the body's tem- perature regulating system fails and body temperature rises to critical lev- els (greater than 104 degrees F). This is a medical emergency that may result in death! The signs of heat stroke are confusion, loss of consciousness, and seizures. Workers experiencing heat stroke have a very high body temperature and may stop sweating. If a worker shows signs of possi- ble heat stroke, get medical help im- mediately and call 911. Until medical help arrives, move the worker to a shady, cool area, and remove as much clothing as possible. Wet the worker with cool water and circulate the air to speed cooling. Place cold wet cloths, wet towels, or ice all over the body or soak the work- er's clothing with cold water. The above descriptions are cour- tesy of research concerning these is- sues with the help from OSHA. Other potential heat related ill- nesses include heat cramps – which are muscle pains usually caused by the loss of body salts and fluid during sweating. Workers with heat cramps, according to OSHA and the Ameri- can Red Cross, should replace fluid loss by drinking water and/or carbo- hydrate-electrolyte replacement liq- uids (e.g., sports drinks) every 15-20 minutes. Another associated heat issue is heat rash, which is the most common problem in hot work environments. Heat rash is caused by sweating and looks like a red cluster of pimples or small blisters. Heat rash may appear on the neck, upper chest, groin, under the breasts, and elbow creases. According to the above men- tioned sources, the best treatment for heat rash is to provide a cooler, less humid work environment. The rash area should be kept dry. Powder may be applied to increase comfort. Ointments and creams should not be used on a heat rash. Why? Because anything that makes the skin warm or moist may make the rash worse. I might at this point deviate just long enough to share with you a situa- tion that happened many years ago as a result of doing a program for a major corporation in the Midwest. During the course of the pro- gram I had commented to the group that I had spent much time in the Ar- izona-New Mexico climate and that should any of you, particularly those of you who are transplanted from the East Coast, be contemplating taking time for a vacation, I would be glad to chat with you about the area in general and some safety precautions in partic- ular. Not long after returning back East I received a phone call from, not one but two, wives (one on a speaker phone along with the original contact person) of two executives who were at the program. They wanted to know if I would share with them some thoughts re- garding either dress habits or clothing habits as they were going to tour the greater Scottsdale area and do some walking in New Mexico as well. Needless to say I asked where they were from originally. The one told me she came from Pennsylvania and the other person told me she was from New Hampshire. Right away I told them in the West – Arizona, New Mexico, and other states – the first thing they would notice is that com- ing from the East where they were Summer is here, hot days ahead! – Part 1 of 2 Dealing with the dangers that face workers in the summer heat

• Cover