Temps Up, Heads Up: How to Stay Safe While Working Outside

Ashley: Hello and welcome to Health and Safety to Go, a podcast from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. As the days get longer and the weather warms up, workers in a number of different occupations often welcome being able to work outside. But when the outdoors is your workplace, there are several hazards you need to be prepared for in the summer months. Here to discuss those hazards and how employers and workers can prepare is CCOHS’ senior technical specialist Matea Kokorovic. Thanks for being here, Matea.

Matea: It’s great to be here.

Ashley: It’s a lovely sunny Friday in Hamilton and you and I are probably looking forward to going outside for some fresh air on our breaks.

Matea: Absolutely.

Ashley: But for millions of workers in Canada, the outdoors isn’t just their break room, it’s their workplace, rain or shine. What are some of the primary hazards faced by those workers in the summertime?

Matea: The most common across all outdoor occupations are sun exposure, hot temperatures, and weather events.

Ashley: Let’s start with sun exposure. What are some specific risks, and what kind of precautions should workers take?

Matea: Ultraviolet radiation from the sun can cause sunburn, premature skin aging, eye damage, and of course skin cancer, which is the most common cancer in the world. These are some of the precautions workers should take, especially when the UV index is 3 or higher. Avoid unnecessary exposure to the sun, especially to the intense midday rays between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Remember that you can still get sunburned on a cloudy day. If it’s not possible to work in a shaded area, set up shade structures for breaks or use umbrellas, buildings, trees, or canopies, to shield against direct rays from the sun. Cover and protect your skin by wearing a broad brimmed hat or hard hat with a brim and a neck flap, along with a lightweight, long-sleeved shirt and long pants. Wear UV blocking sunglasses to protect your eyes. Apply waterproof sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 30, and both UVA and UVB protection, to all exposed parts of your body. A lip balm with SPF is recommended as well. Re-apply every two hours and after sweating. Be skin safe. Monitor your moles or skin spots and report any changes to your doctor as soon as possible. Early detection is crucial to preventing skin cancers.

Ashley: How about heat stress? What are some of the symptoms, and what are some precautions workers can take to stay safe?

Matea: Let’s start with precautions, because the best way to stay safe is prevention.

Ashley: Yes, of course. 

Matea: To prevent heat-related illness, be sure you know the signs and symptoms, which we’ll get into in a minute, and recognize them in yourself and others. Allow yourself to acclimatize to the hot environment before taking on a full workload. Take your breaks in the shade or in a cool environment and take them more frequently on hot days. Drink cool water every 15 to 20 minutes, and avoid drinks with alcohol and caffeine, which can dehydrate you. Wear a hat, and lightweight, loose-fitting clothing. Another important one is knowing how your workplace deals with heat stress and if they have a heat stress management plan in place, which is generally a good idea for hot environments.

Ashley: Right. Now, about the symptoms.

Matea: Knowing the symptoms of heat stress is incredibly important, because they can come on suddenly. And without intervention, heat stress can progress into heat exhaustion or heat stroke, which can potentially be fatal. You’ll want to look out for nausea or irritability, dizziness, muscle cramps or weakness, feeling faint, headache, fatigue, thirst, heavy sweating, high body temperature.

Ashley: If you notice these symptoms in yourself or a coworker, don’t wait to get help. Seek medical aid and stay with someone until help arrives. Move out of the heat to a cooler, shaded location and remove as many clothes as possible (including socks and shoes). Apply cool, wet cloths or ice to the head, face or neck of the affected worker. Spray them with cool water and encourage them to drink water, clear juice, or a sports drink.

Matea: Yes.

Ashley: Another hazard of working outdoors in the summer is severe weather. What can you tell us about that?

Matea: As the climate continues to get hotter, wildland fires, lightning strikes and summer storms are happening with increasing frequency. Employers must have an emergency response plan in place to keep workers safe. Know the requirements for your jurisdiction, conduct regular risk assessments, and have everyone in the workplace participate in drills and simulations to ensure they know what to do in a severe weather event.

Ashley: Employers can also foster a culture of safety by encouraging managers and supervisors to monitor the forecast at regular intervals before and during shifts, and to be proactive in planning for potential work interruptions. Encourage workers to check the skies often and train them on signs it’s time to take shelter.

Matea: That’s right. And our website, CCOHS.ca, has an extensive library of resources on how to recognize and control the hazards that come along with working outdoors in the summer.

Ashley: I think you just stole my line!

Matea: Oops!

Ashley: Thanks for joining us, Matea! And thank you to our listeners for tuning in. Enjoy your summer and stay safe.