08/11/08 Heat Stress

Heat Stress. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. August is here and along with it high temperatures and in some areas high humidity and it can quickly take its toll on a person working outside. Helen Murphy is the Director of Outreach and Education for the PNW Agricultural Safety & Health Center and says it starts with the worker. MURPHY: Workers need to know their risk factors. You need to know what your limits are and that is if you are out of shape, you're over weight; you haven't gotten enough sleep the night before. There's a number of medications that can put you at greater risk. You really need to check with your doctor. L&I has instituted a new heat stress rule that employers need to be familiar with but Murphy says you need to know the factors and the symptoms. MURPHY: People commonly use two different terms, heat stress or heat related illnesses. Basically heat stress is when you have a build up of heat in your body whereas heat related illness is when the body is unable to cope and you start to become symptomatic. Employers should learn the basics of both heat stress & heat related illnesses and be prepared to act immediately to cool the person. MURPHY: That's really the most important thing if someone passes out and you find them you've really got to call 911 and the treatment is what we say, strip, soak and fan. So you strip off any extra clothing, wet them down and then vigorously fan them and that will bring the body temperature quite quickly. If you have any heat related stories, Murphy would like you to contact her at 800-330-0827. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.