• 17
  • August
    2011

"There's an app for that." It's become a well-known slogan among our tech-savvy world, and there really is an app for just about anything. Even the Department of Labor has joined the app club, and its effort could prevent a certain kind of work injury for at-risk workers.

While many people do work in cubicles or at desks inside cushy, air-conditioned offices, many Americans work outdoors. In the summer months work must go on for construction workers, despite the blazing sun or heavy humidity. It gets hot in Alabama, and certain precautions must be taken in order to prevent outdoor workers from suffering from heat-related illnesses and injury.

According to OSHA, they have come up with a phone application that measures the heat index of a worksite. The heat index tells an employer and worker how risky the weather conditions are at the time where they're working. Depending on the risk level, there are safety measures to follow to prevent heat stroke, heat exhaustion and more.

Not all workplace injuries are messy, and the dangers of heat shouldn't be underestimated by workers and certainly not their employers. OSHA reports that last year alone, 30 workers didn't just get sick from the heat while on the job; they died from heat stroke.

That's why it is crucial and required of employers to look at the heat as a workplace safety issue and act accordingly. The new app will help them do that. It not only measures the heat index, but it also will provide users with a list of safety measures to follow based on the heat index at the location. Some of those precautions include scheduling regular breaks in cool and shaded areas, providing workers with water regularly, training new workers in gradually and more.

Source

Occupational Health & Safety: "DOL Releases Mobile App that Monitors Heat Index at Worksites," Aug. 15, 2011