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6670
Appendix T1 Heat
Stress Mitigation |
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1.0
Purpose
Areas known as routine hot working environments
for all or part of the year are monitored on a periodic basis. This appendix
addresses the procedure used to monitor and mitigate potential injury or
illness due to heat stress.
2.0
Scope
This appendix provides mitigation steps
used to reduce injuries or illnesses caused by heat stress through proper
planning and work execution. The approach is to:
·
Proactively
monitor the heat stress conditions using heat index as a predictor.
·
Educate
supervisors and workers how to best prepare to perform in hot conditions.
·
Plan
work and modify those plans as necessary, so that the combination of work
activities and heat index do not place workers in a hazardous situation.
3.0
Responsibilities
NOTE: Management authority may be delegated
to a task qualified Jefferson Lab employee at the discretion of the responsible
manager.
3.1
Everyone at Jefferson Lab
·
Maintain
fluid (especially water) intake.
·
Wear
appropriate work clothes and apply other relevant mitigation measures when hot
weather is anticipated.
·
Monitor
yourself and your colleagues for heat stress symptoms report any symptoms to supervisor and Occupational Medicine.
·
Curtail
activities, including voluntary athletic programs, at Stage 2 or higher
conditions if symptoms are noted or directed to do so.
3.2
Industrial Hygiene
·
Monitor
anticipated heat conditions and prefer heat stress monitoring.
·
Notify
supervisors/SOTRs when heat conditions indicate that heat stress hazards are
anticipated.
·
Notify
supervisors/SOTRs when heat conditions require a work/rest regimen or change in
work demand.
·
Notify
all staff when heat conditions require a suspend work.
3.3
Supervisor/Subcontracting
Officer’s Technical Representative (SOTRs)/Sponsor
·
Monitor anticipated weather conditions and plan accordingly.
·
Request assistance from Industrial Hygiene to evaluate work
assignments involving heat-stress conditions.
·
Subcontracting Officer’s
Technical Representatives (SOTRs) also
·
Ensure subcontractor personnel abide by their
accepted program or Jefferson Lab’s program requirements.
4.0
Process Steps
4.1
Monitor the Weather
Typically, Jefferson Lab encounters
conditions that could lead to heat stress between May and September every year.
During this period, all staff should monitor local weather predictions [http://www.weather.gov/bgm/heatindexforecasts]
to plan accordingly.
When heat conditions are
anticipated to potentially cause a heat stress hazard, EHS&Q division will
send a series of notifications to all staff. The notification sequence is
summarized in Table 1 below. To sign up for notifications, contact the
Industrial Hygiene Group at x7882 or x6380.
Table 1. Heat Index based
notification sequence |
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When notification is sent |
Heat Index prompting notification |
Supervisor/SOTR action |
Day before high heat conditions |
89°F (projected heat index) |
Plan the next day or week’s work to reduce heat
stress |
Day of high heat conditions |
89°F, 94°F, & 105°F |
Reduce the work demand and/or implement work/rest
regimen as indicated in ES&H Division notification. See Figure 1. |
Day of high heat conditions |
105°F |
Return to light work with reduced 50/50 work-rest
regimen until heat index is below 94°F. |
Day of high heat conditions |
115°F |
SUSPEND all outdoor work and work in un-conditioned
spaces. |
4.2
Protect Yourself
Personal mitigation measures must be
taken if the heat index is projected to be at least 89°F; including:
·
Wear
loose fitting, light colored clothing. Select fabrics known to wick (absorb or
drain) moisture away from the skin.
·
Increase
normal water intake prior to work and continue water intake; do not wait until
you are thirsty.
·
Avoid
caffeine.
·
Talk
to Occupational Medicine if any medication you are taking might affect your
ability to work in hot environments.
·
Familiarize
and monitor yourself and your co-workers for signs of heat stress. Examples of symptoms provided in Section 4.6.
4.3
Protect Your Team When Planning
Hazard mitigation measures must be built into work
plans if the heat index is projected to be at least 89°F.
When planning work, it is necessary
to consider an activities work demand. Work demand is broken down into light,
moderate, and heavy categories. Table 2 provides examples of activities within
these categories.
Table 2. Work Demand Categories |
|
Category |
Examples |
Light |
·
Sitting
with light manual work with hands/arms and driving. ·
Standing
with light arm work and occasional walking. |
Moderate |
·
Sustained
manual work with hands, arms, legs. ·
Light
pushing and pulling. ·
Normal
walking. |
Heavy |
·
Intense
arm and trunk work – carrying, shoveling, manual sawing. ·
Pushing
and pulling heavy loads. ·
Walking
at a fast pace. |
4.4
Modify Activities When Conditions
Change
Action must be taken when the heat index
reaches levels indicated for each specific work demand. When conducting work
outdoors or indoor areas without cooling (i.e. compressor rooms and
refrigeration machinery areas), follow guidance in Table 3. Figure 1 provides a
graphic representation of work demand and work/rest regimen changes when the
high index increases.
Table 3. Required Action for
Hazardous Heat Conditions |
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Work Demand |
Heat Index |
Required Action |
Light |
105°F |
Reduce the work demand by reducing activity work
demand or start a 50/50 work rest regimen. |
Moderate |
94°F |
|
Heavy |
89°F |
Figure 1. Process for work demand
and work/rest regimen changes as high index increases.
4.5
Suspend Work
Suspending work at all outdoor
locations and indoor areas without cooling is required when notified or when the
heat index exceeds temperatures listed in Table 4. Work can only be resumed by
one of the following:
·
Permission
is obtained from the appropriate Division Manager.
·
Local
conditions WBGT is measured by Industrial Hygiene, indicates that a work/rest regimen
can continue based on local temperature conditions.
·
The
head index reduces (temperature drops) below levels in Table 4.
Table 4. Suspend work, Extremely
Hazardous Heat Conditions |
|
Work Demand |
Heat Index |
Light |
115°F |
Moderate |
105°F |
Heavy |
94°F |
4.6
Recognize Heat Stress Symptoms
Anyone working in an environment
with potential to cause heat stress need to be able to recognize related
symptoms; including:
·
Headache
·
Dizziness
·
Lightheadedness
or fainting
·
Weakness
·
Mood
changes such as irritability or confusion
·
Upset
stomach or vomiting
·
Pale
skin
Stop activities at first signs of
heat stress; move the affected person to a cooler, shaded area and immediately
notify the supervisor/SOTR and Occupational Medicine.
5.0
References
·
Jefferson
Lab Tech Note JLAB-TN-19-008 “Heat Stress Program Update: Validation for Using
Heat Index as an Alternate to the 2016 WBGT”
·
Jefferson
Lab Tech NOTE JLAB-TN-15-044 “Validation for using Heat Index as an alternate
to the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature at JLab”
6.0
Revision
Summary
Revision 2.0 – 05/29/19 – ‘Heat Stress
Work Cessation Procedure’ retitled ‘Heat Stress Mitigation’ to reflect current
laboratory operations; added IH responsibilities; updated Process Steps
Revision 1.6 – 06/19/18 – Updated TPOC from B.Manzlak to J.Williams
Revision 1.5 – 04/24/18 – Removed outdated TLV reference per
CATS#STR-2017-12-01-03
Revision 1.4 – 03/15/16 – Updated TPOC from R.Owen to B.Manzlak
Revision 1.3 – 06/04/15 – Periodic Review; Updated 3.0 Responsibilities for Supervisor/SOTRs/Sponsor and updated note box under 4.0; Corrected revision summary sequence
Revision 1.2 – 09/27/12 – Periodic Review; no changes to content required
Revision 1.1 – 05/09/11 – Updated to provide for “hot work” activities
Revision
1.0 – 11/19/09 – Updated to reflect current laboratory operations
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ISSUING
AUTHORITY |
TECHNICAL
POINT-OF-CONTACT |
APPROVAL
DATE |
REVIEW DATE |
REV. |
|
|
ES&H Division |
05/29/19 |
05/29/22 |
2.0 |
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printed on 6/19/2019.