Excessive heat is a threat to the safety of workers — especially those working outside in construction, oil and gas, agriculture and similar industries. If their bodies cannot release heat as quickly as it accumulates, workers can face numerous health risks, such as fatigue, fainting, cardiovascular issues, impaired judgment and other symptoms of heat related illness.
One critical consideration for outdoor workers in the summer is head protection. In fact, according to recent Honeywell studies, the color of a plastic hard hat is directly related to the heat affecting the body. This guide explains three key steps to help safety managers choose the right hard hats to protect outdoor workers in the hottest months of the year. (Information from Honeywell)
1. ASSESS THE HEAT RISK
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), temperatures as low as 71° F can still be dangerous for workers engaged in heavy exertion. That’s because ambient air temperature — the reading on a thermometer — does not tell the entire story of heat risk. Other contributing factors include direct sunlight, relative humidity, and radiant heat reflected from water, windows or metal structures.
Therefore, in assessing the heat danger for outdoor workers, keep in mind that even though the ambient temperature may seem comfortable, workers could still be at risk.
How does it really feel outside? The answer is reflected in the Heat Index, which combines relative humidity with the actual air temperature. Consider this guide from the National Weather Service. Download the NIOSH/OSHA Heat App [iOS | Android] to access a simple heat calculator on your device.
2. CHOOSE LIGHT-COLORED HARD HATS
All hard hats reflect, absorb and transmit some infrared rays from the sun.The rays that are absorbed through the shell become trapped, increasing the temperature of the air gap surrounding the worker’s head. There are a variety of factors increasing the temperature of the air gap, including the angle of the sun, the amount of wind, the ambient temperature and the color of the hard hat.
Honeywell tested the impact of color on the temperature that the worker is subjected to. We put identical hard hats of different colors on head forms inside a controlled environment that was tuned to resemble a warm summer day. The hard hats were then exposed to an infrared heat lamp to simulate the sun. Thermocouples were placed on the outside of the hard hat shell and inside the shell, just above the head form. Honeywell found that in a 90° F environment, the temperature of the air gap beneath the hard hat shell (the air that the worker is actually exposed to) ranged from 111.6° F to 122.3° F.
In fact, Honeywell found that depending on the color, the outer shell of a hardhat can become 60 degrees warmer than the ambient temperature, while the temperature inside the hard hat can become more than 30 degrees warmer than the ambient temperature. Clearly, selecting light-colored hard hat in warm temperature conditions can make an enormous difference in a worker’s health and safety.
How does the color of a hard hat contribute to heat risk? Honeywell studies show that in a 90° F environment, the temperature surrounding a worker’s head is lowest with hard hats that are white and highest with hard hats that are orange or high-visibility yellow.
Honeywell replicated these results by setting up several hard hats on head forms in warm, sunny environments across the globe. The sunlight-powered experiments provided data that was consistent with our controlled tests.
In summary, the head form under the light-colored hard hats was significantly cooler than under darker colored hard hats. Interestingly, the orange color performed the worst, allowing infrared rays to penetrate the shell and creating the highest temperature in the air gap surrounding the worker’s head. White compared favorably to all other colors, making it the ideal hard-hat color to help mitigate heat risk. Across the spectrum, a good way to improve worker safety in the heat is to swap out darker hard hats for lighter colors.
3. CHOOSE UNVENTED HATS
Adding vents to hard hats should lower the temperature underneath, right? Not so. Venting creates a window for sunlight to seep into the hat, which means higher temperatures for the worker’s head. Moreover, vented hats do not have enough room to allow air to flow properly, unless the air enters the vent on a strong wind — and even then, the cooling effect is only momentary. Therefore, vented hard hats generally do more harm than good.
How to select the right hard hat for hot conditions. Hard hats of different colors can be important indicators of job roles on a worksite, enabling quick identification of key people. But for jobs in direct sunlight, lighter-colored hard hats can significantly reduce the risk of heat stress and improve workers’ safety. Download full article from Honeywell
To select hard hats for hot conditions, please contact your Total Safety sales representative. Total Safety helps organizations achieve higher safety standards and create a workplace culture of safety. Go beyond the basics with our VMI solutions, high-quality safety equipment, PPE, and MRO solutions. We are committed to helping you meet compliance, reduce injury, and help to protect the safe well-being of your workforce.
W³…to ensure the safe Wellbeing of Workers Worldwide. ®
Full article by Honeywell and re-posted by Total Safety. Download study here.
Joto kupita kiasi ni tishio kwa usalama wa wafanyakazi - hasa wale wanaofanya kazi nje katika ujenzi, mafuta na gesi, kilimo na viwanda vinavyofanana. Ikiwa mwili wao hauwezi kutoa joto haraka kama inavyojikusanya, wafanyakazi wanaweza kukabiliwa na hatari nyingi za afya, kama vile uchovu, kukosa fahamu, matatizo ya moyo, udhaifu wa uamuzi na dalili nyingine za ugonjwa unaohusiana na joto. Jambo moja muhimu kwa wafanyakazi wa nje wakati wa kiangazi ni kulinda kichwa. Kwa kweli, kulingana na utafiti wa hivi karibuni wa Honeywell, rangi ya kofia ngumu ya plastiki inahusiana moja kwa moja na joto linaloathiri mwili. Mwongozo huu unaelezea hatua tatu muhimu za kusaidia wasimamizi wa usalama kuchagua kofia sahihi za usalama ili kulinda wafanyakazi wa nje katika miezi ya joto zaidi ya mwaka. (Maelezo kutoka kwa Honeywell) 1. Kulingana na Shirika la Usalama na Afya kazini (OSHA), joto la chini kama 71 ° F bado linaweza kuwa hatari kwa wafanyakazi wanaofanya kazi ngumu. Hiyo ni kwa sababu joto la hewa ya karibu - kusoma kwenye thermometer - haisemi hadithi nzima ya hatari ya joto. Mambo mengine yanayochangia ni pamoja na mwangaza wa jua wa moja kwa moja, unyevu wa kiasi, na joto la mnururisho linaloonyeshwa kutoka kwa maji, madirisha au miundo ya chuma. Kwa hiyo, katika kutathmini hatari ya joto kwa wafanyakazi wa nje, kumbuka kwamba hata ingawa joto la mazingira linaweza kuonekana kuwa la kupendeza, wafanyakazi wanaweza bado kuwa katika hatari. Ni jinsi gani kweli kuhisi nje? Jibu la swali hilo linapatikana katika Kiashiria cha Joto, ambacho huchanganya unyevu wa hali ya hewa na halijoto halisi ya hewa. Fikiria mwongozo huu kutoka kwa Shirika la Kitaifa la Hali ya Hewa. Ni rahisi sana kuhamisha programu ya joto ya NIOSH (iOS, Android, Android) na kuitumia kwa urahisi kwenye vifaa vyako vya umeme. 2. Uwezekano wa kupata Vipepeo vya rangi nyepesi huonyesha, huchukua na kusambaza baadhi ya miale ya infrared kutoka kwa jua, na miale inayopatikana kupitia shell hufungwa, na kuongeza joto la nafasi ya hewa inayozunguka kichwa cha mfanyakazi. Kuna sababu kadhaa zinazoongeza joto la nafasi ya hewa, ikiwa ni pamoja na pembe ya jua, kiasi cha upepo, joto la mazingira na rangi ya kofia ngumu. Honeywell alichunguza jinsi rangi inavyoathiri halijoto ambayo mfanyakazi huyo hupatwa nayo. Kwa mfano, tunatumia kofia za usalama za rangi tofauti kwenye vifuniko vya kichwa katika mazingira yaliyodhibitiwa ili kufanana na siku ya joto ya majira ya joto. Kisha kofia hizo ziliwekwa chini ya taa ya joto ya infrared ili kuiga jua. Thermocouples walikuwa kuwekwa nje ya shell kofia ngumu na ndani ya shell, tu juu ya sura ya kichwa. Honeywell alipata kwamba katika mazingira ya 90 ° F, joto la nafasi ya hewa chini ya shell ya kofia ngumu (hewa ambayo mfanyakazi ni kweli wazi) kati ya 111.6 ° F na 122.3 ° F. Kwa kweli, Honeywell alipata kwamba kulingana na rangi, shell ya nje ya kofia ngumu inaweza kuwa 60 ° C joto zaidi ya joto la mazingira, wakati joto ndani ya kofia ngumu inaweza kuwa zaidi ya 30 ° C joto zaidi ya joto la mazingira. Kwa wazi, kuchagua kofia nyepesi ya rangi nyepesi katika hali ya joto inaweza kufanya tofauti kubwa katika afya na usalama wa mfanyakazi. Rangi ya kofia ngumu huchangiaje hatari ya joto? Uchunguzi wa Honeywell unaonyesha kwamba katika mazingira ya joto la 90 ° F, joto linalozunguka kichwa cha mfanyakazi ni la chini na kofia ngumu nyeupe na la juu zaidi na kofia ngumu za rangi ya machungwa au ya rangi ya manjano. Honeywell alirudia matokeo haya kwa kuweka kofia kadhaa ngumu kwenye fomu za kichwa katika mazingira ya joto, yenye jua kote ulimwenguni. Majaribio yaliyoendeshwa na nuru ya jua yalitokeza data ambazo zilipatana na majaribio yetu yaliyoongozwa. Kwa muhtasari, sura ya kichwa chini ya kofia nyepesi za rangi ilikuwa baridi zaidi kuliko chini ya kofia nyeusi za rangi nyeusi. Kwa kushangaza, rangi ya machungwa ilifanya vibaya zaidi, ikiruhusu miale ya infrared kupenya ndani ya ganda na kuunda joto la juu zaidi katika pengo la hewa linalozunguka kichwa cha mfanyakazi. Rangi nyeupe ni rangi bora zaidi kuliko rangi nyingine zote, na hivyo ni rangi bora ya kofia ngumu kusaidia kupunguza hatari ya joto. Njia bora ya kuboresha usalama wa wafanyakazi katika joto ni kubadilisha kofia nyeusi kwa rangi nyepesi. 3. Uwe na mtazamo wa kweli Chagua kofia zisizo na mhimili Kuongeza mhimili kwenye kofia ngumu kunapaswa kupunguza joto chini yake, sivyo? Si hivyo. Venting huunda dirisha kwa ajili ya mwanga wa jua kupenya ndani ya kofia, ambayo ina maana joto la juu kwa kichwa cha mfanyakazi. Zaidi ya hayo, kofia ventilated hawana nafasi ya kutosha kuruhusu hewa mtiririko vizuri, isipokuwa hewa inaingia vent juu ya upepo mkubwa <unk> na hata hivyo, athari ya baridi ni tu muda mfupi. Kwa hiyo, kwa kawaida kofia zenye hewa hufanya madhara mengi kuliko manufaa. Jinsi ya kuchagua kofia ngumu inayofaa kwa hali ya joto. Vipepeo vya rangi tofauti vinaweza kuwa viashiria muhimu vya majukumu ya kazi kwenye tovuti ya kazi, ikiwezesha utambulisho wa haraka wa watu muhimu. Lakini kwa kazi katika mwanga wa jua wa moja kwa moja, kofia nyepesi za rangi nyepesi zinaweza kupunguza kwa kiasi kikubwa hatari ya mkazo wa joto na kuboresha usalama wa wafanyakazi. Kupakua makala kamili kutoka Honeywell Kuchagua kofia ngumu kwa hali ya joto, tafadhali wasiliana na mwakilishi wako wa mauzo ya Usalama wa Jumla. Usalama wa jumla husaidia mashirika kufikia viwango vya juu vya usalama na kuunda utamaduni wa usalama mahali pa kazi. Kuongeza ubora wa bidhaa zetu kwa njia ya VMI, vifaa vya usalama vya hali ya juu, PPE, na suluhisho za MRO. Tunakusaidia kufikia viwango vya kufuata, kupunguza majeraha, na kusaidia kulinda usalama na ustawi wa wafanyikazi wako. W3... kuhakikisha usalama na ustawi wa Wafanyakazi Ulimwenguni. Makala kamili na Honeywell na re-posted na Total Safety. Pakua utafiti hapa.