Heat Stress PPE
Spent half a day at a job site near Santa Clarita, temp was about 108 with little to no breeze, scope of work was Excavating and Trenching along with other miscellaneous tasks. I'm trying to look at new, innovative, or dependable PPE to help ease the burden.
Water and shade are covered. I'm trying out cooling vests tomorrow. I wonder if some of you have come across any cool gadgets or apparel i can look into.
Comments (4)
I've seen some of our Japanese contractors utilize hard hats with built in small electric fans, and a curtain like shade that extends over the back of their necks. They seem quite fond of it as the heat out here can be deadly during humid times.
NIOSH has a webpage with recommendations: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/heatstress/recommendations.html
I would also highlight work/rest schedules. ACGIH has a good one. See if somebody in your company or network has a TLV book you can borrow.
Id look at some of the phase change cooling vests if you have the ability to swap out cooling packs in the middle of the day. Some of the evaporative cooling products work great to stay cool but have to be soaked in cold water and reapplied throughout the day. Ergodyne has some cool options. Depending on what else you have to use for PPE there are always things you can do to be cooler. (Vented hardhat, cooling bands, neck shades, etc)
I like the idea of using cooling vests! I would also recommend having access to ice and water. Check out different electrolyte options. I worked on a job that would hand out Sqwincher (electrolyte) ice pops on days hotter than 105 F
I have seen companies set up portable tents with A/C or fans that workers can use on their breaks.