Working in heat and sun (UV)

This talk is about heat, sun and ultraviolet radiation on outdoor work today. It is not the cold-weather talk, and it is not a reason to drop the controls on the dust, the scaffold or the van. HSE's outdoor working page says the weather can have a serious impact on health if the risks have not been managed. That impact can be immediate, or it can show up over a longer time, including conditions like skin cancer. The weather can also affect whether someone can keep safe, for example when they are handling machinery.

There is no law for a maximum working temperature, and no law that says when it is too hot to work. HSE says that because every workplace is different. No meaningful upper limit can be imposed, because in many indoor workplaces high temperatures are not seasonal. They are created by the work, for example in bakeries or foundries. I am not going to invent a number on a thermometer and call it the point we stop. There is not one on that page. Employers still have to stick to health and safety law. For an indoor workplace, HSE includes keeping the temperature at a comfortable level and providing clean and fresh air. An open site, a scaffold or a garden is not that room. For outdoors, use the outdoor list.

For hot environments outdoors, HSE's list is short. Reschedule work to cooler times of the day. Provide more frequent rest breaks, and shade in the rest areas. Provide free access to cool drinking water. Introduce shading where people are working. Encourage people to remove personal protective equipment when they are resting, so they can lose heat. Make sure people can recognise the early symptoms of heat stress. If today's heavy carry can move to the morning, or into the shade, that is the first control. The load has not got lighter because the sun is out. The manual handling talk still applies.

Heat stress, on HSE's heat stress page, happens when the body's way of controlling its internal temperature starts to fail. Air temperature is only one part of it. Work rate, humidity and work clothing can lead to it as well. That page is written mainly for workplaces where heat stress is an issue all year, such as bakeries and foundries. HSE says it will also help employers protect workers in very hot weather, where the risk may be higher. A typical situation on that page is someone wearing protective clothing and doing heavy work in hot and humid conditions. Sweating is restricted by the clothing and the humidity. Body heat increases with the work rate, so the core temperature rises. The body makes more sweat, which can cause dehydration. The heart rate also increases, which puts more strain on the body. A full mask, a waterproof layer or a boiler suit on a still day is that situation. The break is when HSE says to encourage people to take PPE off, where it is safe, so they can lose heat. Do not take it off while the dust or the wet cement is still the hazard. Take it off in the shade, on the break.

HSE lists typical symptoms of heat stress. An inability to concentrate. Muscle cramps. Heat rash. Severe thirst, which HSE calls a late symptom of heat stress. Fainting. Heat exhaustion: fatigue, dizziness, nausea, headache and moist skin. Heat stroke: hot dry skin, confusion, convulsions and eventual loss of consciousness. HSE says heat stroke can result in death if it is not detected at an early stage. If someone on this job has those signs, we stop their work and we get help. We do not tell them to finish the bay. Heat stress affects people in different ways, and HSE says some are more likely to suffer it than others. Age, body type and medical factors, for example a hormonal imbalance, may affect how someone tolerates heat. Inexperience, medication, or a condition such as heart disease can make a person more susceptible. HSE says the risk assessment should already address risks to pregnant workers, and that you may choose to review it when a worker tells you they are pregnant. This talk is not a diagnosis. If there is a problem, HSE says you may need advice from an occupational health professional or a medical practitioner.

Where heat stress is possible, HSE says you must assess the risks. Consider the work rate, because harder work generates more body heat. Consider the working climate: air temperature, humidity, air movement, and work near a heat source. Consider the clothing and PPE, because they may stop sweating and other ways of regulating temperature. Consider the person. Talk to the people doing the job, and to their safety representatives, to see if they are already showing early signs. If there is a problem, you may need occupational health advice. Controls on that page start with removing or reducing sources of heat where you can. Provide mechanical aids so the work rate comes down. Limit how long people stay in the heat: cooler times of the day, rest breaks, and a rest place that is cooler. A permit to work that says how long someone can stay is one of HSE's examples where there is a risk. Training matters most for people who are new or young. Tell them the risks, the symptoms, the safe way of working, and what to do in an emergency. HSE also says allow people to acclimatise, and identify who is fit to work in hot conditions. That judgement may need occupational health advice. I am not making it on this sheet.

Water has to be replaced. HSE says working in the heat causes sweating, which means losing water, and that you should provide cool water and encourage people to drink it frequently and in small amounts. If it is not possible to drink while working, HSE's example is asbestos removal: encourage people to drink before and after the work so they do not dehydrate. The asbestos talk is the stop rule and the enclosure. This talk is the water. Free access to cool drinking water is also on the outdoor list. A bottle that has been sitting in a hot van is not cool water.

Feeling hot and damaging the skin are not the same thing. HSE's outdoor page says too much sunlight can cause skin damage, including sunburn, blistering and skin ageing, and in the long term an increased risk of skin cancer. The construction skin page says construction workers are at risk of skin cancer mainly because of exposure to the sun during outdoor work, although some harmful substances can also cause skin cancer. On HSE's sun page, too much sunlight is harmful, and a tan is a sign that the skin has been damaged. The damage is caused by ultraviolet rays in sunlight. In the short term, even mild reddening of the skin is a sign of damage. Sunburn can blister the skin and make it peel. Longer term, too much sun speeds up ageing of the skin and makes it leathery, mottled and wrinkled. The most serious effect on that page is an increased chance of developing skin cancer. The construction page lists signs to take to a doctor: a scaly patch of hard skin, a red lump or spot, an ulcer, a new mole, or a patch of skin which bleeds, oozes or has a crust.

Construction workers are on HSE's list of outdoor workers who could be at risk if the work keeps them outside for a long time. Take particular care, on that page, if you have fair or freckled skin that does not tan, or that goes red or burns before it tans, if you have red or fair hair and light-coloured eyes, or if you have a large number of moles. People of all skin colours should take care to avoid damage to the eyes, overheating and dehydration. The controls HSE repeats are the ones we use. Keep your top on. Wear a hat with a brim or a flap that covers the ears and the back of the neck. Stay in the shade whenever possible, during breaks and especially at lunch time. Use a high factor sunscreen of at least SPF30 on any exposed skin. The construction page says a high factor sunscreen of SPF30. Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. Check your skin regularly for any unusual moles or spots. See a doctor promptly if you find anything that is changing in shape, size or colour, itching or bleeding.

Do not confuse the advice with a duty to hand out cream. HSE's page on ultraviolet radiation from the sun says there is no legal obligation for employers to provide suncream or sunglasses for outdoor workers. The same page says HSE encourages employers of outdoor workers to include sun protection advice in routine health and safety training, and advises workers to keep covered up during the summer months. So we talk about it in this briefing, we keep covered, and we do not pretend a bottle of cream on the dashboard is the whole control. Shade, the top and the hat come first. Cream is for the skin that is still exposed, and on HSE's sun page that cream is at least SPF30.

Before we start today: which heavy jobs can move to a cooler part of the day? Where is the shade for the break, and where is the cool water people can actually reach? Who is new, who is in full PPE, and who is doing the hardest work? Do they know the signs? If someone cannot concentrate, has cramps, feels faint, or looks confused, we stop and get help. We do not wait for a temperature on a weather app that HSE has not set.