AlaCOMP

Poor hydration can lead to heat stress and be a major factor in the safety of occupational workers.  Unlike the conventional athlete, the occupational worker, one who performs physical labor for an occupation, is often faced with repeated days of 8 hours or more in uncontrollable working environments.  Hot environments, combined with requirements for heavy, protective clothing, can hinder the body’s cooling processes.  

Sweating is one of the main ways a body cools itself.  When a body sweats, fluid is lost and must be replaced.  Over an 8-hour work shift, this can commonly mean a loss of up to 2 gallons of sweat during the summer in an uncontrolled environment.

Fluid lost through sweat, but not replaced through drinking, leads to dehydration.  In workers and athletes alike, dehydration can lead to a decrease in strength, a drop in endurance, and a reduction in motor skills.

Dehydration can also contribute to serious health and safety issues.  Fluids not replaced can lead to feelings of fatigue and may inhibit cognitive (thinking) function.  For many industrial athletes, the inability to think rationally and make good decisions, may impact their physical safety as well as that of others working around them.  Dehydration often leads to other forms of heat illnesses like heat exhaustion and possibly a fatal heat stroke.  Symptoms of heat illnesses often mimic each other.  Below are some symptoms one may experience when affected by a heat related illness.

 Dehydration

• Irritability
• Nausea or vomiting
• Decreased performance
• Cramps
• Heat sensations on head or neck
• Chills

Heat Exhaustion

• Irritability
• Nausea or vomiting
• Decreased muscle coordination
• Cramps
• Heat sensations on head or neck
• Chills
• Dry mouth

Heat Stroke

• Irritability
• Vomiting
• Loss of balance/muscle function/collapse
• Elevated core temperature
• Seizures
• Coma

For dehydration and heat exhaustion, having the affected worker lie down and removing heavy outer clothing will be helpful.  Elevating the legs and providing fluid hydration should have the employee feeling better soon.  Heat stroke is a medical issue and proper medical protocol should be followed.  Provide the cooling procedures noted above but get medical treatment for the employee immediately.

Employers can do a lot to ward off heat illnesses in the work place.  Educate your workers as to the dangers of heat illness.  Provide adequate hydration for your workers and provide a safe, healthly work environment for them.  Stress the fact that proper hydration begins before your work shift.  For example, if your employee notices in the morning that they weigh a lot less than they did the night before, if their urine is dark colored and they find they are unusually thirsty, it’s possible they are already dehydrated.  Reporting to work in this condition is not a good idea.  It’s really hard to “catch up” once you are dehydrated.  Come to work hydrated.

When you provide hydration (drinks) for your employees, consider flavored water or sports drinks.  Studies have shown that people will tend to drink more flavored water and sports drink than they will plain water.  Water satisfies thirst so quickly, people often stop drinking before they have consumed enough to be beneficial.  Studies also show that the amount of sodium in sports drinks is not significant enough to be harmful when compared to the benefit of hydration, even in cases where individuals consumed as much as one gallon of sports drink in an eight hour period.

Let’s be safe this summer and keep everyone hydrated.  For more information on heat related illnesses, visit the AlaCOMP Online Safety Library or feel free to contact our Loss Control Department.