(208)969-9957
  • KTS Home Page
  • KTS Locations
  • Online Course Options
  • About
  • Calendar
  • Bulk Course Purchases
    • Safety & Project Mngmt. Services
  • Child & Babysitting Safety (C.A.B.S.)
  • Safety Programs, Training, and Respirator Fit Testing Services
  • AED Information & Mangement Program
  • Everyday Health & Safety
  • Natural Healing & Wellness
  • KTS Reviews
  • Instructor Resources
  • Wilderness First Aid Course
  • KTS Newsletter

Health & Safety is a lifestyle.

Heat Stress Awareness

6/30/2015

0 Comments

 

Summer is here in Southern Idaho and so are record temperatures.  Exposure to this extreme heat can result in occupational injuries or illnesses. Heat stress can result in heat rashes, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. These temperatures can also increase the risk of injuries in workers as it may result in safety glasses becoming foggy, slippery hands from sweating, dehydration, and dizziness. There are higher risk factors for workers who are 65 years of age or older, are overweight, have heart disease or high blood pressure, many other health complications, and some medications may increase sensitivity to higher temperatures. 

Adequate training in the recognition and prevention of Heat Stress is vital to maintaining the Health & Safety of your company.  Prevention should include:


  • Wear light-colored, loose-fitting, breathable clothing such as cotton.
  • Gradually build up to heavy work, stretching and warm up activities are recommended before starting work.
  • Schedule heavy work during the coolest parts of day.
  • Take more breaks in extreme heat and humidity, mandatory break scheduling may be necessary in some manufacturing environments.
  • Drink water frequently. Approximately 1 cup every 15-20 minutes to avoid feeling thirsty, is recommended by the CDC.
  • Avoid alcohol.  Limit intake of caffeine, sugar, and salt.
  • Protective clothing or personal protective equipment may increase the risk of heat stress.
  • Make available commercially manufactured cooling devices such as fans, properly installed AC Units, and Cool-It Bands or Head Wraps.
  • Monitoring temperatures and physical condition of your employees continually is ideal.  Some environments may require a JHA to include the exposure to Heat and Humidity.
Picture
0 Comments

Hearing Protection Awareness

6/24/2015

1 Comment

 
by Christina Keyes, Keyes To Safety LLC

-Required for employers to implement a Hearing Conservation Program where workers are exposed to a time weighted aver
age noise level of 85 dBA or higher over an 8 hour work shift, for general industry.
-Noise may be a problem in your workplace if you hear ringing or humming in your ears when you leave work, you have to
shout to be heard by a coworker at an arm's length away, or you experience temporary hearing loss when leaving work.
-Noise-related hearing loss has been listed as one of the most prevalent occupational health concerns in the United States
for more than 25 years. Thousands of workers every year suffer from preventable hearing loss due to high workplace nois
e levels.
-Since 2004, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that nearly 125,000 workers have suffered significant,
permanent hearing loss. In 2009 BLS reported more than 21,000 hearing loss cases.
-Exposure to high levels of noise can cause permanent hearing loss. Neither surgery nor a hearing aid can help correct
this type of hearing loss.

-Short term exposure to loud noise can also cause a temporary change in hearing (your ears may feel stuffed up) or a
ringing in your ears (tinnitus). These short-term problems may go away within a few minutes or hours after leaving the
noisy area. However, repeated exposures to loud noise can lead to permanent tinnitus and/or hearing loss.
-Loud noise can also create physical and psychological stress, reduce productivity, interfere with communication and
concentration, and contribute to workplace accidents and injuries by making it difficult to hear warning signals.
-Noise-induced hearing loss limits your ability to hear high frequency sounds, understand speech, and seriously impairs
your ability to communicate. Can also lead to psychological and social isolation.


Industry standard set by NIOSH for maximum PEL of 85dBA for an 8 hour time limit


TABLE G-16 - PERMISSIBLE NOISE EXPOSURES (1)


Duration per day, hours | Sound level dBA, Slow
8...................................... 90
6...................................... 92
4...................................... 95
3...................................... 97
2...................................... 100
1 1/2 ................................ 102
1........................... ...........105
1/2 ................................... 110
1/4 or less.......................... 115


When the daily noise exposure is composed of two or more periods of noise exposure of different levels, their combined effect should be considered, rather than the individual effect of each.



FYI....hearing loss is permanent, please protect yourself and raise awareness for others!
1 Comment

    Archives

    March 2020
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

  • KTS Home Page
  • KTS Locations
  • Online Course Options
  • About
  • Calendar
  • Bulk Course Purchases
    • Safety & Project Mngmt. Services
  • Child & Babysitting Safety (C.A.B.S.)
  • Safety Programs, Training, and Respirator Fit Testing Services
  • AED Information & Mangement Program
  • Everyday Health & Safety
  • Natural Healing & Wellness
  • KTS Reviews
  • Instructor Resources
  • Wilderness First Aid Course
  • KTS Newsletter