Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Outdoor Workplace Safety
Outdoor Workplace Safety
• Access to sufficient
amounts of cool
drinking water shall be
available at all times.
• Recommend
consuming at least
four cups per hour for
the entire shift.
Access to Shade
• A shaded rest area shall be
provided as close as practicable
to the work area.
– Refer to your departments local
procedures for accessing shade
• As needed, take frequent cool-
down breaks in the provided
shade.
Supervisor Guidance
Work Planning and Supervision
• Assess conditions
– Weather forecasts -
http://nws.noaa.gov
– Current weather -
http://weather.stanford.edu
* Note: high humidity drives up the heat
load
• For warmer periods:
– Schedule outdoor work during cooler
parts of the day
– For most strenuous tasks, plan a staff
rotation
Work Planning and Supervision
• Worker acclimatization
– People adapt to outdoor temperature increases
within 4-14 days. To minimize the risk of heat
illness:
• Adjust work schedules and intensities during a two-
week period
• New employees or those returning from extended
leaves – acclimatization is especially important
– May not be adapted to local weather or work intensity
– Be extra vigilant with these employees
Work Planning and Supervision
• For outdoor temperatures ≥85°F, supervisors shall ensure:
– Shade is present for employee rest breaks.
• When a worker has brief periods of outdoor work without nearby shade, the
employee shall be instructed on how he/ she will be able to quickly access
shade as needed for heat illness prevention
• If it is not safe or feasible to provide shade, document why the shade cannot be
provided and what steps will be taken to provide shade upon request or an
alternative cooling measure with equivalent protection.
– Staff are reminded throughout the day to drink plenty of water and to take
cool-down breaks in the shade (when they feel the need to do so)
– Effective means for employees to contact the supervisor and emergency
services
– Regular monitoring of employees for alertness and signs/symptoms of
heat illness
– Close supervision of new employees
Written Procedures
• The minimal procedures are listed in the SU Heat Illness Prevention guidance.
These steps detail how your personnel will locally:
• Provide supervisor and employee training
• Provide access to water & shade
• Monitor employees and report signs/symptoms of heat illness
• Respond to heat illnesses without delay, provide first aid and emergency services.
• Provide clear and precise directions to the worksite.
• Train all supervisors and employees on these procedures.
• Document training
• Maintain the procedures on-site or close to the site, so that it can be made
available to representatives of Cal/OSHA upon request.
Summary of Supervisor
Responsibilities
• Obtain heat illness prevention training
• Be aware of your staff’s heat stress potential
• Develop and train staff on written local heat illness prevention
procedures
• Provide access to water and shade
• Plan and manage work activities accordingly to reduce the risk of heat
stress
• Be able to recognize any warning signs of heat illness
– Promptly respond to symptoms of heat illness!
For Additional Information
http://ehs.stanford.edu
http://iipp.stanford.edu