Mines safety bulletin no. 190 | 11 December 2020 | Version 1
With seasonal heat already being experienced across Queensland, persons with safety and health obligations are advised to review how workers' exposure to heat is being managed to ensure risk of injury to any person resulting from operations is at an acceptable level.
If the body has to work too hard to keep cool or starts to overheat a worker begins to suffer from heat-related illness.
This is a general term to describe a range of progressive heat-related conditions including reduced concentration, dehydration, sunburn, fainting, heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke which can lead to death.
Whether the work is performed indoors or outdoors, heat is a hazard. Factors to consider include:
Not everyone reacts to heat in the same way. How hot a worker feels will be different in every situation, depending on the individual worker, the work they are doing and the environment in which they are working. A risk assessment will help determine the level of risk and the effectiveness of existing control measures, what action you should take to control the risk further, and how urgently you need to take action.
Most people feel comfortable when the air temperature is between 20°C and 27°C and when the relative humidity ranges from 35 to 60 per cent.
People may feel uncomfortable when air temperature or humidity is higher than this. However, it is important to note that such situations do not cause harm as long as the body can adjust and cope with the additional heat.
Medical advice may need to be sought for workers considered at risk due to factors such as pre-existing conditions or prescription medication.
A variety freely accessible assessment tools are available ranging from simple to more complex. Basic (qualitative) risk assessment options include;
A more comprehensive tool (3 level approach) to identify heat stress factors at your site is available to purchase on the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists website.
Risk can be either controlled by modifying the environment or modifying the work. A combination of controls may be the most effective.
Examples for modifying the environment include:
Examples for modifying the work include:
If there is a risk it must be controlled. Advice may be sought from an occupational hygienist to perform a professional risk assessment and devise a management plan for your site.
Control measures must be reviewed to ensure are working as planned and do not introduce new uncontrolled risks. E.g. Use of a fan for cooling may expose the worker to increased respirable dust levels.
Are the available controls used by workers when needed? Is there a better control that could be reasonably practicably implemented, are the controls effective?
First aid can effective in the early stages of a heat-related illness. However, always seek medical advice. If a worker is experiencing severe heat exhaustion or heat stroke, call an ambulance immediately, and perform first aid until the ambulance arrives.
Contact: Samantha Forster, Principal Occupational Hygienist , +61 7 3199 8001 QldMinesInspectorate@rshq.qld.gov.au
Issued by Resources Safety & Health Queensland
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All information on this page (Managing the risks of working in heat - https://www.rshq.qld.gov.au/safety-notices/mines/managing-risks-of-working-in-heat) is correct as of time of printing (Sep 1, 2024 2:15 pm).