When Heat Becomes a Safety Hazard
Rising temperatures can create serious risks for operators, riggers and ground crews
The sun and its heat can be enjoyable when on vacation, and especially when relaxing. However, working in extreme heat, especially under difficult conditions, can lead to heat stress, an important but often overlooked safety hazard. As we approach the summer months across the U.S., the NCCCO Foundation (NCCCOF) is working to raise awareness around the dangers of heat stress in the crane industry.
Recent research and resources developed by the NCCCOF in collaboration with the National Safety Council (NSC) highlight the frequent and high risk of heat stress that people working in cranes experience.
Being warm or becoming hot while outside during the summer is not unusual and in fact is often the desired outcome; however, when the body absorbs more heat than it can release, it causes heat stress. Heat stress can have significant personal negative health effects, and when working, can also have a negative impact on the safety of those working around them.
Under heat stress, the body becomes unable to regulate its internal temperature through biological responses such as sweating and increased blood flow. People working on a construction site, especially those working with cranes, are subject to many of the conditions that can lead from being just hot to experiencing heat stress. Factors such as high temperatures, humidity, wearing heavy clothing, poor hydration and intense physical activity are just a few of the environmental and personal physical factors that can lead to increased risk of heat stress.
In a survey conducted by the NCCCOF and NSC, crane operators reported that heat stress contributed to 18% of the 629 reported personal injuries. In fact, heat-related injuries accounted for 17% to 25% of total reported injuries across all crane-related roles, including riggers and signalpersons. This is not surprising given the amount of time crane operators spend in the cab throughout the day, and the exhausting work done by ground crews in direct sunlight before, during and after a lift.
The impact of heat stress can therefore be significant to both the individual and those working with them. Heat stress can cause heat cramps, heat edema, heat exhaustion, heat rash, heat syncope and even heat stroke. In addition, these conditions and their effects can have adverse effects on the work being performed on the jobsite. For example, whether sitting in the cab or working on the ground, people experiencing heat stress may have impaired cognitive functions, dizziness, reduced grip strength or impaired coordination, all of which could lead to safety concerns when dealing with precise movements and often heavy loads on a jobsite full of workers.
The obvious question is what can be done to try to mitigate heat stress, given the potential for it to occur and significant safety concerns when it does. Several resources about heat stress and how to address it exist, including a tool designed to assist in strategically minimizing heat stress and other common safety hazards present in the crane industry. The Crane Operations Jobsite Safety Controls Tool, developed by the NCCCOF and NSC, provides a framework that prioritizes hazard mitigation strategies through the Hierarchy of Controls. The tool provides various heat stress mitigation strategies, including elimination (e.g., autonomous cranes), substitution (e.g., upgrading older equipment), engineering controls (e.g., cooling/hydration stations), administrative controls (e.g., structured work/rest cycles) and personal protective equipment (e.g., cooling vests).
To learn more about heat stress, such as national statistics, current regulations and more specifics on the impact on those working in the crane industry, download the complete safety hazards research report and associated white paper on heat stress in the crane industry at www.ncccofoundation.org/research/safety/. The Crane Operations Jobsite Safety Controls Tool, addressing heat stress, 14 other common safety hazards and suggested mitigation strategies, is available for free at bit.ly/CraneSafetyControlsTool.
