The Many Costs of Neglecting Your Thermal Safety Plan — Occupational Health and Safety
The Many Costs of Neglecting Your Thermal Safety Plan
It’s easy to think that heat stress causes cramps, vomiting, and even fainting. However, a serious heat illness like heat stroke can change or end a person’s life forever.
We often call heat stress a slow injury in that it happens over a period of time, often without the victim knowing they are in trouble. Heat illnesses are far more common than most people realize, with eleven workers seriously injured or even dying from heat stress every day. It’s especially tragic considering it’s a 100% preventable injury with the right preparation and knowledge.
While most workplaces know they need to provide the big three – rest, shade and hydration – many don’t realize that these can be insufficient in particularly hot, humid or heavy working conditions. Going beyond the basics to develop a comprehensive thermal safety plan is critical to your workers, your safety program, and your business bottom line.
Monetary costs
Those eleven daily injuries translate into thousands of people every year, and with an average price tag of $53,589 for each incident, that’s millions of dollars, not including any additional wrongful death lawsuits that may be filed or other judgments that can be leveled against your business. It is the monetary costs that are important. But there are also other, even greater costs.
Costs for the health and well-being of workers
It’s easy to think that heat stress causes cramps, vomiting, and even fainting. However, a serious heat illness like heat stroke can change or end a person’s life forever.
Organ damage. If your body temperature gets high enough to cause heatstroke, important systems begin to suffer irreparable damage. This can mean brain, heart, liver or kidney damage, or even compromised muscle tissue. Organs can swell to the point of injury or be damaged enough to require dialysis or a kidney transplant. It doesn’t just happen to those with underlying conditions, it can also happen to healthy workers.
This article originally appeared in the March 1, 2022 issue of Occupational Health and Safety.