UMASH: Watch for Heat-Related Illnesses

OMAHA (DTN) -- With temperatures soaring into the 90s Fahrenheit, high humidity, and heat indexes reaching triple digits and even triggering extreme heat warnings this week from the central Gulf Coast to the Lower Great Lakes region, those who work on farms in the heat need to take precautions.

Symptoms of heat stress -- such as fever, headache, nausea and fatigue --can be difficult to recognize and can quickly worsen and cause illness, injuries (caused by being tired or dizzy) and even death. It is, however, preventable and should be taken seriously.

The Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH) has a checklist with tips to protect farmers and farm workers (https://umash.umn.edu/…) that includes the following:

-- Special considerations should be given to workers who might be at higher risk of heat illness, like those who have preexisting conditions, are more than 65 years old or are pregnant. Provide frequent breaks in shaded or cool areas; make food and cold beverages readily available.

-- Schedule physically demanding jobs early in the day with more people scheduled to do these jobs to reduce the load on each person.

-- Workers should be trained to prevent, recognize and treat heat-related illness in others.

-- Workers should have access to their own clean bottles of water. Bottles should be washed daily.

-- Workers should know and be able to explain their location if they need to seek medical attention.

-- Workers should begin each shift by drinking plenty of fluids, including sports drinks with electrolytes.

-- Workers should be given more breaks to rest and hydrate as the temperatures rise.

-- Workers should end each shift resting and drinking plenty of cold fluids to ensure their bodies cool down. Heat stress can be magnified over consecutive days.

-- Workers should know how and which medical provider to call in case of an emergency.

-- Workers should gradually increase their exposure time in hot environmental conditions over a period of seven to 14 days to be aclimatized.

Other related resources:

-- Farm Safety Check: Sun Safety, https://umash.umn.edu/…

-- Heat illness training videos: https://www.youtube.com/… (English) and https://www.youtube.com/… (Spanish)

-- What personal protective equipment (PPE) to wear to protect workers from heat-related illnesses: https://www.cdc.gov/…

-- OSHA-NIOSH Heat Safety Tool App to help determine heat index levels with a real-time heat index and hourly forecasts specific to your location, https://www.cdc.gov/…

-- Heat Illness Prevention, https://deohs.washington.edu/…

Russ Quinn can be reached at Russ.Quinn@dtn.com

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