As temperatures rise during the week, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) offers advice on how to stay safe and avoid serious health problems.
Stay Cool
- Wear appropriate clothing: Choose lightweight, loose-fitting clothing.
- Use air conditioning: Take breaks in an air-conditioned location to cool down. Fans can provide comfort, but won’t prevent heat-related illnesses.
- Pace yourself: If you’re not accustomed to working in a hot environment, start slowly and pick up the pace gradually.
- Wear sunscreen: Sunburn affects your body’s ability to cool down and can make you dehydrated. Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and apply and reapply sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher every two hours.
- Avoid hot and heavy meals: They add heat to your body.
Stay Hydrated
- Drink plenty of fluids: Drink more fluids than usual. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink.
- Avoid surgary drinks, caffeine and alcohol. Avoid ice-cold beverages that could cause stomach cramping.
- Replace salt and minerals: Heavy sweating removes salt and minerals from the body that need to be replaced. A sports drink can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat.
Stay Informed
- Know the signs: Learn the signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses and how to treat them.
- Use a buddy system: When working in the heat, monitor the condition of your co-workers and have someone do the same for you. Heat-induced illness can cause a person to become confused or lose consciousness
- Monitor those at high risk: Although anyone at any time can suffer from heat-related illness, some people are at greater risk than others.