Page 209 - Safety Memo

monitor the percent of lost body weight.

Employee Training

For both employees and supervisory personnel, heat stress training is the key to good work practices.
If all employees do not understand the reasons for using appropriate work practices to prevent heat
stress, the chances of this program succeeding are greatly reduced. A good heat stress training
program for employees should cover at least the following components:
 Knowledge of the hazards of heat stress.

 Recognition of predisposed factors, danger signs, and symptoms.
 Awareness of first-aid procedures for and potential health effects of heat stress.
 Employee responsibilities in avoiding heat stress. Dangers of the use of drugs, including
therapeutic ones, and alcohol in a hot work environment.
 Proper use of protective clothing and equipment.

 Purpose and coverage of environmental and medical surveillance programs and the
advantages of worker participation in such a program.

 The importance of maintaining body fluids at normal levels.
 The benefits and factors of acclimatization.

 The components of the Heat Stress Program.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE - CORPORATE SAFETY
From time to time, it may be necessary for Company Corporate to accept work which will require the
employment of personnel in extremely hot environments, having a tremendous potential for heat stress
and heat disorders. When faced with this type of situation, notification of either the Corporate Safety
Office, or a Regional Safety Manager must be considered mandatory. In addition, Corporate Safety has
compiled sufficient technical information to assist divisions having projects of this type.

The technical information includes such material as:
 Recommended Permissible Exposure Limits and Threshold Limit Values for heat stress;

 Worker monitoring, including weight loss and heart rate monitoring;
 Methods of obtaining temperature measurements; and

 Specific tables for the measurement of various aspects of a heat stress program. Do not hesitate to
notify the Corporate Safety Office when it is believed that heat stress will present a strategic factor
at the work place.

PERMISSIBLE HEAT EXPOSURE THRESHOLD LIMITS VALUES (Table 2)
Threshold Limit Values (TLV) for heat stress conditions under which it is believed that nearly all workers
may be repeatedly exposed day after day without adverse effect, have been established. The TLVs shown
in Table 2 are based on the assumption that nearly all acclimatized, fully clothed workers with adequate
water and salt intake should be able to function effectively in heat stress conditions below these TLVs
without increases in deep body temperature to levels above 100.4º Fahrenheit. However, because of the
wide variation in individual susceptibility, exposure of an occasional individual at, or even below, the
threshold limit may not prevent annoyance or aggravation of a preexisting condition or even physiological

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