Workers are encouraged to use the Heat Safety Tool app to check the heat index and be more aware of the potential dangers of working outdoors.
Here's a nifty tool to keep workers safe in extremely hot and humid conditions. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is offereing a free Heat Safety Tool app for smart phones and other mobile devices that features real-time heat index—a measure of how the temperature actually feels—and hourly heat index forecasts for a worker’s location.
Though employers have the responsibility of making sure their workers are safe on the job, workers are encouraged to use the Heat Safety Tool app to check the heat index and be more aware of the potential dangers of working outdoors for short or long periods of time. The app can also give precautionary recommendations specific to the heat index and includes signs and symptoms and first aid information for heat-related illness.
“As we enter the summer months, the Heat Safety Tool app can help both employers and workers stay safe while working in the heat,” said NIOSH Director John Howard. “The amount of heat safety information that is easily accessible on this app and recommendations will help employers know when and how to modify the work environment.”