Bescherm jezelf op hoogtes en tijdens warme dagen met verkoelende kleding

4. PROTECTING VULNERABLE GROUPS AND OCCUPATIONS FROM THE HEAT

May 27, 2022

Everyone has to deal with heat load, both privately and at work. However, there are certain groups within society that are more affected by this than others. Who are these? And how can they, or you as an employer, protect them against this?

Vulnerable professions

Strictly speaking, every profession has to deal with heat stress. But when we look at professions that deal with this (periodically) on a constant basis, it can be seen that in 12% of all companies work under (too) warm conditions. These are occupations in agriculture, construction and industry as well as in services. Some of the professions that fall below are:

bakers.
gardeners.
construction workers.
workers in the paper, steel and glass industries, firefighters, law enforcement officers, road workers, logistics workers and truck drivers.

Vulnerable groups

Besides the fact that there are vulnerable professions, there are also vulnerable groups. These are people who are at greater risk of health risks as a result of heat exposure. Research has shown that women generally suffer more from the heat than men. In addition, it appears that people who can satisfy at least one of the statements listed below have a groter poses a health risk at high temperatures.

During pregnancy.
People in bad shape.
People with an extremely low weight (on average under 50 kg).
People with a high fat content.
People with cardiovascular disease.
People taking medicines.

How to protect everyone?

To protect yourself or your staff from the dangers of heat stress is it is important to have a good RI&E. In addition, making a hit plan which states which actions will be taken and when ensure that employees within your organization know how to prepare for the warm weather and the work. In addition, shorter working days and more breaks can contribute to the recovery of the body during hot days.

Wearing cooling clothes can help with regulate of the body temperature of the employees. This allows an employee working longer/more productive without compromising health.

DISCLAIMER: This blog should not be construed as medical, regulatory or legal advice in any form. The information shared in this blog has been obtained exclusively from the sources listed, which can be found in the source reference below. Do you have questions about the content? Please contact a specialist or send us an email after which we can refer you to the right person.