Excess heat can place abnormal stress on your body. Hard work during high heat and humidity can cause heat cramps, heat exhaustion or heat stroke. These are your body’s warning signs that your core temperature is rising. Heat stress can occur suddenly. It can also be dangerous, resulting in organ or brain damage.
Heat cramps are painful, brief muscle cramps. Muscles may spasm or jerk involuntarily.
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Muscle spasms that are:
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Get medical attention, stop work and sit in a cool place. Drink water with food and do not return to work right away. Alternate between strenuous and easy jobs |
Heat exhaustion is when your body cannot keep blood flowing both to vital organs and to the skin for cooling.
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Get medical aid and cool down (move to a shaded area, loosen clothing, drink cool water). It takes 30 minutes at least to cool the body down from heat exhaustion, and if it’s not treaded promptly, it can lead to heat stroke. |
Heat stroke is a medical emergency. You can die from it. Your body has used up all its water and salt and cannot cool itself. Your temperature rises to dangerous levels.
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If a co-worker shows symptoms of heat stroke, you should act fact!
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Both heat exhaustion and heat stroke are serious matters. In both cases, the body is reacting to a life-threatening situation. Do not take chances. Should you begin to feel ill, take a break and drink some cool (not ice) water or something else other than an alcoholic beverage. Both injuries frequently cause a lack of consciousness; in our business, that can lead to a serious injury!