BOS 3001 Unit IV Article Critique

Unit IV Article Critique

BOS 3001, Fundamentals of Occupational Safety and Health

Columbia Southern University

Unit IV Article Critique

For this article critique I chose Extreme and Intense: How to handle temperature and labor stressors from Industrial Safety & Hygiene News issue dated April 1 2017. I chose this article because I felt it complemented part of Unit III’s lesson, primarily chapter twelve, Hazards of Temperature Extremes. After reading this article I immediately went back and reread chapter twelve in the basics of occupational safety by David Goetsch to compare the two. I will give a brief introduction or synapsis of the article then discuss the strategies and tips posed to combat the workplace hazard of temperature control. I will also discuss the issues with overexposure to heat and then go into methods of control to prevent occupational related injuries and illnesses.

This article covered several ideas or strategies on how to manage the temperature and labor stressors associated with many workers and outdoor recreationalists. Subjects covered include over-taxing the body with temperature stressors which result in work-related mistakes, preventing the storage of heat in the body, and increasing safety awareness, (Brook, 2017). Per the article heat stress can arise from a variety of both environmental and physical elements and can lead to heat exhaustion, (2017). Heat exhaustion per David Goetsch results from loss of sweating off fluid and salt that are not properly replaced during exertion, (Goetsch, 2015). The article goes on to discuss strategies to help combat hazards related to heat stress and they are firstly knowing your body, this means that you should listen to your body when it tells you that you are over heating and not to push yourself past the safe limits. The second strategy is simple stay hydrated, this does not mean drinking 8 eight-ounce glasses of water a day but to drink when you are thirsty or if you know you will be in an environment or work area with the potential for higher temperatures pre-emptively drink some extra water. The third tip is to wear the appropriate clothing for the task(s) being completed. As stated in chapter twelve of the basics of occupational safety book “Heat is best removed from the body when there is free movement of the cool dry air over the skins surface…. Clothing impedes this process”, (2015). The fourth strategy is to acclimate yourself to the heat, the body doesn’t just heat and cool on a whim it needs to be given the proper time or chance to regulate itself to the temperature.

The strategies and tips above are great ways to help prevent heat related incidents in the work center but when dealing with worker safety we must always look for additional ways to help control and prevent occupational illnesses and injuries.

As a workplace supervisor our employee’s safety should be of the highest priority. By using the hierarchy of controls, we can help prevent any occurrences of heat related illnesses. Supervisors need to make sure they are emphasizing the importance identifying heat related illness symptoms to their employees. They also need to make sure employees are wearing the appropriate clothing and personal protective equipment. By utilizing shift work to limit exposure times work center supervisors can help prevent an unnecessary injury. Supervisors also need to complete scheduled and unscheduled work center inspections to help control exposure to temperature hazards.