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beat Stroup is the most serious form of heat stress Temperature regulation fails and the body temperature rises to critical levels Immediate action must be taken to cool the body before serious injury and death occur Competent medical help must be obtained Signs and symptoms are • red, hot, usually dry skin • lack of or reduced perspiration • nausea • dizziness and confusion • strong, rapid pulse • coma First Aid for Heat Stroke - THIS IS A MEDICAL EMERGENCYI SUMMON MEDICAL ASSISTANCE ' IMMEDIATELY! Remove the victim from the work area, perform a gross decon, and remove all PPE Have the victim lie down in a cool, shady area. Attempt to bring the victim's temperature down by increasing air movement (electric fan) or placing wetted ' sheets or towels on them. Place an ice bag on the victim's head. The victim must not be sent home or left unattended without a physician's specific order. HEAT STRESS PREVENTION The best approach to avoiding heat-related illnesses is through preventative heat stress management The site manager and site safety officer are responsible for implementing this program. ' Rest areas - a relatively cool, shaded area must be provided for breaks when ambient temperatures exceed 70°F and workers are wearing chemical protective clothing (including uncoated Tyvekm), or if temperatures exceed 85°F and workers are wearing "Level D" coveralls or work clothes. A car or van is an oven, not a rest area The rest area should be located In the support zone adjacent to the contamination reduction zone, situated so that part of it is in the decon area so workers can take breaks without ' going through full decon If shade is not available, build some use a plastic "dining canopy", which can be obtained at sporting goods stores This same type of canopy can be set up to shade personnel performing hand augering in hot weather. ' Liquids - encourage employees to drink cool electrolyte replacement drinks, such as Gatorade, Squench or Quik-kick (drink), frequently Plain water is ok, but replacement drinks are preferred OSHA prohibits a "community cup", use paper cups Have workers drink 16 ounces of drink before beginning work, such as in the morning and after lunch At each break, workers should take 8-16 ounces of dank Don't wait until you are thirsty to drink Discourage the use of alcohol during non-working hours, and discourage the intake of coffee during work hours, as these make heat stress control more difficult Acclimatization - this is the process by which your body "gets used to" hot work environments This is achieved by slowly increasing workloads Start at 50 percent capacity on day one, and increase by 10 percent per day, on day six, you'll be at 100 percent. You don't loose acclimatization over a weekend, but it'll start to decrease after three to four 1