As temperatures rise and the growing season gets into full swing, it’s time to dive into a new hot topic: farm safety. High temperatures, humidity and direct sunlight are important for crop production, but they can be deadly for farmers and farm workers.
In this episode of the Farm Safety Roundup podcast, host Shaun Haney joins Shawn Chadwick, health and safety consultant with Workplace Safety & Prevention Services, to discuss identifying heat illness and steps farmers and their workers can take to prevent it.
Chadwick explains that heat stress is very serious. It occurs when your body can’t get rid of excess heat, causing your core temperature to rise and your heart rate to increase. Your body responds by trying to cool itself down, and the physical effects of that can increase your risk of injury, he says. (More on that below.)
Heat stress can be life-threatening with short-term and sometimes long-term effects. While taking a cool-down break may seem like a loss of productivity, it can prevent a much larger loss of productivity, such as an employee having to take time off to recover or heal from an injury.
On very hot days, it is important to plan ahead, such as moving more strenuous activities to cooler times of the day and avoiding radiant heat sources. PPE, proper hydration and cooling/rest are also very important.
Chadwick says heat stroke can be hard to spot on your own. People with heat stroke may feel tired, lightheaded, dizzy, have a headache or feel weak, but may not notice the signs. Chadwick suggests that no one should work alone in extreme heat, and that people work in groups so they can look out for each other’s signs.
Other signs of heat stress include:
- Heat rash – a very itchy red rash on the skin
- Blurred vision, convulsions, swelling of hands and feet
- Fainting – caused by fluid loss and lack of fluid intake
- Heat stroke – caused by a malfunction of the body’s cooling system
- Heat stroke is a potentially fatal medical emergency.
- If you don’t sweat when you should, that’s a big problem.
What can farmers do to keep themselves, their families and their employees safe? Chadwick says farmers should develop a heat stroke plan, use a weather app to set alerts, post signs in areas where radiant heat is likely, provide cool, shady places for breaks and ensure water is always available. Wearing light clothing, hats that provide shade and working at a slower pace are also key factors in avoiding heat stroke.
As always, Chadwick says making sure everyone is trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of heatstroke should be part of any heatstroke prevention plan, which should also include an emergency response plan for dealing with heatstroke by having first aid personnel and supplies available in the workplace.
For more information on this important topic, How to prevent heatstroke in agriculture and landscapingVisit wsps.ca/farmsafety.
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