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June 2024 

As we roll into summer, temperatures are on the rise across the country. A record-setting “heat dome” settled across a large part of the U.S. as summer officially arrived June 21, with millions seeing air temperatures exceeding 90 degrees, and heat indices at or above 100 degrees.

VNS Federal Services and CTI and Associates, Inc. (CTI) through their U.S. Small Business Administration-approved joint venture, CTI-VNSFS Environmental, LLC (CVE), run two projects at U.S. Department of Energy sites where the temps have been soaring lately. Our people work outside on a regular basis, and steps are in place to keep them safe.

Chandy Lindberg, H&S Manager at the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility (ERDF) at the Hanford Site in Washington, said temps there typically start rising in June with highs in the mid-to upper-90s and moving into triple digits by July and August.

“We try and plan heavy work for the early morning hours and if it gets too hot, we will sometimes perform work over several days to minimize exposure to the heat in the afternoon. We also follow (industry standard) controls for managing exposure to heat which consist of work-rest regimes, physiological monitoring, optimizing communication of self-care when working in hot conditions and using the buddy system,” Lindberg said.

In Oak Ridge, Tennessee, CVE is involved in the construction of a perimeter security system. Typical outdoor work includes performing excavations, trenching, installing conduit or other security features. July to September can get really hot, said Michael Grant, Site Safety & Health Officer in Oak Ridge.

“To mitigate heat stress, we deploy several 10 by 10 (foot) canopy tents to be used as shade or cool-down areas. Each has a cooler packed with ice, water and electrolyte (powder) packs,” Grant said. “I personally keep a freezer full of Squencher popsicles that I deliver to our crew usually twice a day.”

As with all CVE project sites, “our crew members are trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of heat stress with the intent to look out for each other as the days get hotter,” Grant said.

As the temperatures go up, our bodies begin to adapt to the change. According to OSHA, 50-70 percent of outdoor fatalities occur in the first few days of working in warm or hot environments because the body needs to build a tolerance to the heat over time. The process of building this tolerance is called heat acclimatization. Even when temperatures don’t reach extreme highs, if your body has not adapted to the increasing temperature, then you may begin to experience heat stress symptoms.

There are occupational risk factors (work-related) and personal risk factors that can contribute to heat stress-related illnesses. Being mindful of these risk factors can be the difference between working safely in the heat and feeling ill when executing work. Examples of occupational risk factors include heavy workloads, hot work environments, lack of acclimatization, and wearing excessive PPE. Personal risk factors that may exacerbate heat stress can include medical conditions, medications, lack of physical fitness, alcohol/drug consumption, and previous episodes of heat-related illnesses.

Here are some ways to prevent heat-related illnesses this summer:

Plan ahead – Don’t be afraid to schedule breaks into your work shift; especially if you are performing heavy work or you are anticipating wearing multiple layers of PPE.

• Hydrate – Drink plenty of water and electrolytes throughout your work shift. Come to work prepared by consuming plenty of water prior to executing work.
• Engineering controls – Air conditioning, swamp coolers, shade tents, and cooling vests can all be used to help mitigate the risk of heat-related illnesses. While we can’t control the forecast, there are ways to control our worker’s work environment!
• Identify heat illness symptoms – If you see something, say something! Being able to identify when somebody is at the early phases of feeling heat-related illnesses can prevent a serious injury. If you see a fellow worker experiencing heat stress then be sure to move them to a cool, shaded area and provide them with cold drinking water.

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