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0 Haight Road Tank Removal NOA Project Number: E07174A January 2008 0 11 Workers employed outdoors are especially subject to weather changes. A hot spell or rising humidity can create overly stressful conditions. Scheduling/ Work Rotation When possible, do the most demanding tasks in cooler parts of the day, morning, and evening. Also, begin work shifts earlier in the day, or start later in the afternoon. Labor-intensive tasks may be spread out over a greater number of days. Use less intensive tasks to fill in the rest of the day. Rest Areas Providing cool rest areas in hot work environments considerably reduces the stress of working there. Shaded areas should be as close to the work area as possible. Individual work periods should not be lengthened in favor of prolonged rest periods. Shorter but frequent work -rest cycles benefit the worker most. Drinking Water In the course of a day a worker may produce as much as 2 to 3 gallons of sweat. Because so many heat disorders involve excessive dehydration of the body, it is essential that water intake be about equal to the amount of sweat produced. Most workers exposed to hot conditions drink less fluids than needed due to an insufficient thirst drive. Therefore, a worker should not depend on thirst to signal when and how much to drink. instead, the worker should drink one cup of fluids every 15 to 20 minutes. There is no optimum temperature of drinking water, but most people tend not to drink warm or very cold fluids as readily as they will cool ones. Whatever the temperature, the water must be palatable and readily available. individual drinking cups should be provided — never use a common drinking cup. Heat acclimatized workers lose much less salt in their sweat than do workers who are not adjusted. The average American diet contains sufficient salt for acclimatized workers even when sweat production is high. If for some reason, salt replacement is required, the best way to compensate is to add a little extra salt to the food. Salt tablets MUST NOT be used. 6.3 Severe Weather Fieldwork shall not be conducted when lightning can be seen or thunder heard from the work area. When lightning and/or thunder occur, employees are to cease work, perform emergency personal and equipment decontamination as needed, then seek shelter. During extreme weather conditions, the Field Team Leader shall use his or her best judgment and has the authority to stop fieldwork or dismiss workers for the day. Examples of conditions that may warrant work stoppage include: tornado warnings, high winds, hail, flooding, and ice storms.