In the face of heat, small gestures, big results

The National Institute for Safety and Health at Work has presented this summer the informative poster titled: "In the face of heat: small, big results", conveying the idea that in summer, when working outdoors, appropriate measures must be taken to avoid the harmful effects of heat.

The poster details a series of recommendations that are:

• Prioritize the use of loose, light-colored, breathable clothing, preferably cotton.
• Avoid working in isolation.
• At any slightest symptom of discomfort, you should stop, rest and call a colleague.
• If necessary, contact emergencies (112).
• You should drink water frequently to maintain adequate hydration.
• Avoid direct solar radiation, if this is not possible, it is advisable to cover your head and body with appropriate clothing, wear sunglasses and apply sun protection when appropriate.
• Efforts should be avoided in the middle of the day.
• Take frequent breaks, and it is advisable to rest in a shaded, cool, ventilated place away from heat sources.

Recommendations are also included for the employer who must, among other actions, organize work outside to avoid the hottest hours, allow the rotation of tasks and facilitate breaks, inform about the risks of exposure to high temperatures and how to avoid them or provide work clothing appropriate for this time of year.

Likewise, the Regional Institute of Safety and Health at Work of the Community of Madrid (IRSST) has prepared a leaflet with a series of recommendations to prevent heat stroke at work.

At Fraternidad-Muprespa we work to disseminate a culture of prevention with the aim of reducing the accident rate of our mutual members and for this reason we encourage you to visit our web portal Previene which can be a great support to help you in your work information and sensitization of your workers with information, brochures, infographics, videos or manuals of good practices related to safety and health at work.