These procedures have been created to assist employers in establishing their own heat illness prevention procedures and to reduce the risk of work-related heat illnesses to their employees. This example program was composed to address heat strain in outdoor environments, but the same principles apply to indoor environments. Text in red and check boxes are to be edited, deleted, or expanded on by the user as necessary.
Note: These procedures describe essential heat illness prevention steps applicable to most work settings. In work environments where there is a higher risk for heat illness (e.g., during a heat wave or other severe working or environmental conditions), you must exercise greater caution and employ protective measures beyond what is listed in this document.
To effectively establish your company procedures, carefully review the key elements listed in this document, as well as the examples provided, then develop written procedures applicable to your workplace. The Heat Illness Prevention Plan must be written in English and the language understood by the majority of the employees and must be available at the worksite. Implement procedures, train employees and supervisors on your company procedures, and follow-up to ensure your procedures are fulfilled.
[Your Company Name Here] written Heat Illness Prevention Plan is designed to prevent health effects from work environments where there is a higher risk for heat illness. This plan follows the recommendations of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Criteria for a Recommended Standard — Occupational Exposure to Heat and Hot Environments. [Your Company Name Here] employees may be involved in activities that involve exposure to occupational heat.
[Your Company Name Here] will evaluate and consider the specific conditions present at our site, such as:
1. The size of the crew 2. The length of the work-shift 3. The ambient temperature and heat index
4. Additional sources of heat or the use of personal protective equipment that may increase the body’s heat burden
5. These procedures might not include every workplace scenario, so it is crucial to take into account and evaluate conditions found in your individual workplace that are likely to cause a heat illness
Our written procedures will:
1. Identify the person(s) responsible for the particular task(s) (e.g., supervisor, foreman, safety coordinator, crew leader).
2. Describe, in detail, the steps required to carry out the task and ensure that the task is accomplished successfully, including procedures which allow employees time to adapt to the environment, availability of potable drinking water, work/rest regimen, controlled temperature environments for cooling, and consideration of outdoor environments where employees perform tasks outdoors: including the number and size of water containers and shade structures; distance to their placement; and frequency of water replenishment, water breaks/reminders, weather-tracking, etc.
3. We will communicate these procedures to our employees, particularly the person(s) assigned to be responsible for them, and how we will verify that the procedures and instructions are being followed.
2 November 2023 ❘ 23 ®
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36
