For workers in many industries, personal protective equipment (PPE) is just as much a part of the workday as the work itself. But what happens when staying safe on the job seems to conflict with staying cool? Let’s explore some pieces of PPE for hot environments and adaptations you can make to protect your employees while simultaneously reducing their risk of overheating.
5 Essential Pieces of PPE for Hot Work Environments
It’s usually possible to keep yourself and employees safe from the heat with work practice modifications or engineering controls (such as using an air conditioner unit). However, in some cases, special PPE can help protect workers from overheating.
Below are some pieces of PPE for hot work environments as recommended by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). You may want to consider using one or more of these options to reduce the risk of excessive heat exposure.
1. Insulated Suits
Swap out traditional PPE like safety vests and heavy suits for lightweight alternatives made with heat-resistant materials. An aluminized suit or jacket, for instance, may fight off excess radiant heat in environments where employees work with materials at high temperatures.
2. Breathable, Reflective Clothing
Alternatively, workers can stay cool both indoors and outdoors by wearing breathable, light-colored clothing that reflects light rather than absorbing it. Darker garments absorb more wavelengths from the sun and, therefore, absorb more heat.
3. Infrared Reflecting Face Shields
Protecting the eyes and face from the sun’s harmful rays is just as important as protecting the body. Many heat-reflective face shields are made with polycarbonate and lined with a reflecting layer of gold, which can reflect infrared and ultraviolet radiation.
4. Cooling Neck Wraps or Towels
Keeping internal body temperatures low while working and while on breaks is crucial for preventing heat illness. Cooling ice packs, neck wraps, or even wet towels around the neck can quickly and effectively bring the body back to a safe temperature.
5. Ice-, Water- or Air-Cooled Garments
In extremely hot work environments, it might be necessary to invest in thermally-conditioned clothing that uses ice, water, or air to cool the individual wearing it.
For instance, workers might wear vests that receive cool air from a vortex tube that’s connected to an external compressed air source while working at high temperatures. Garments that use reusable ice packs or cooling packs in the pockets are another option.
Can Wearing PPE Increase the Risk of Heat-Related Illnesses?
While it is important to protect yourself from hot weather, it’s also crucial to understand how wearing PPE can increase an individual’s risk of heat-related illness. Many forms of PPE–such as surgical gowns, respirators, face shields, boots, etc.–are necessary and even required to reduce exposure to workplace hazards. At the same time, though, this gear may limit the body’s ability to sweat and release heat. It can also store excess heat and moisture inside, making the body work even harder to cool off.
So, it’s safe to say that some types of PPE make it more likely that a person will face a heat-related illness. When it’s not possible to adapt PPE practices to the temperature, it’s vital to take other steps to counteract the risk of working in hot environments.
How to Protect Workers Wearing PPE from Heat Illnesses
Your approach to PPE will be a key part of your plan for preventing heat illness in the workplace. Whether it involves using heat-resistant PPE or simply considering how the PPE your workers wear increases the risk of heat illness, your approach should be tailored to your work environment.
Here are a few basic tips that can help you ensure you strike the right balance between protection from heat and protection from work hazards when choosing PPE:
- Talk to Safety Experts – When in doubt, it’s never a bad idea to consult a safety and health professional to see what you can do to limit heat stress at your workplace.
- Develop Appropriate Work/Rest Cycles – If your workplace requires certain PPE regardless of the temperature, consider the type of PPE and the time an individual can safely wear it. From there, you can create work and rest cycles that are suited to each worker’s fitness level, hydration, and work rate. You may, for instance, need to offer more frequent rests and shorter work cycles on hot days to make up for the impact PPE has on your workers.
- Optimize Rest Periods – Make the most of rest periods when workers are not actively engaged in work by ensuring the body has what it needs to “heal” and recharge. During breaks, encourage employees to remove PPE, hydrate, and apply either active (i.e., cold packs or wet towels) or passive (i.e., moving to a cooler environment) cooling methods. In doing so, you can ensure your workers reduce their core body temperature as much as possible while they rest, therefore lowering their risk of overheating on the job.
Signs of Heat-Related Illness to Watch For
As you consider how to adapt your PPE to hot environments, it’s also wise to brush up on your knowledge of heat-related illnesses. Knowing which warning signs to look for could help you save a life.
Ensure that your entire staff knows about the classic signs of heat illness and knows how to take action. Some of the most common symptoms to look out for include:
- An elevated body temperature
- Increased pulse or rapid heartbeat
- Excessive sweating or hot, red, and dry skin
- Weakness or dizziness
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Extreme thirst or dry mouth
- Decreased urine output
It’s particularly key to know which signs of heat-related illnesses are indicative of a medical emergency. If you notice any of the following symptoms in yourself or an employee, call 911 immediately:
- Abnormal behavior or thinking
- Slurred speech
- Loss of consciousness
- Seizures
Once you’ve called for help, move the person to a cool, shady environment if possible, and stay with them until first responders arrive.
Stay Safe & Cool, Even with PPE
Wearing PPE on the job can make staying cool a challenge, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Incorporating engineering controls, cooling gear, and heat-resistant equipment into the workplace can help you keep your employees safe from work-specific and temperature hazards.
When it’s not possible to change the PPE you use on the job, make other alterations to your routine–such as taking more regular water breaks–to keep body temperatures low. Understand, too, that each employee’s risk level may be different, and there might not be a one-size-fits-all approach to fighting the heat.
Check in with your employees regularly to see what else you can do to help them stay comfortable and safe during the summer and beyond.
