Feeling Hot, Hot... Sick

We're deep into the dog days of summer - lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer - and while many of us are hitting the beaches and lakes and soaking in the rays, we actually have more to fear from the sun than just high UV and skin cancer. Working in the sun - specifically, under-hydrated, overexposed, unprotected work - can result in illness, and even fatality, during the hottest months of the year.

Speaking of "dog days", most of us get pretty upset when we see a pet left in a car on a hot day, panting from heat exhaustion and trying desperately to "sweat" through their drooling tongues, with no water bowl at hand. (This blog post is starting to remind me of my fellow blogger's post recently about posh pet resorts and how they can be safer than kids' camps!)

Treat Workers as Humanely as Chickens

In California this fall, a vote will be taken  to make sure that chickens are treated humanely on farms, while weak regulations fail to protect farmworkers from heat illness and other risks. But, as an article in the LA Times wrote recently:

"Dozens of farmworkers have died from heatstroke in the last decade in California. No one knows exactly how many because sometimes their deaths are not recorded as heat-related or not recorded at all..."

But it isn't just farmworkers who are at risk of overheating. Other risky jobs include:

• Landscapers/gardeners
• Construction workers
• Patio waiters, dog walkers
• Garbage collectors
• Road workers

Every employer of outdoor workers has a responsibility to make sure they get proper hydration (access to water and time to take breaks to drink it) as well as shelter from the sun at regular breaks through the day... Heck, why not even make sure you have hats and sunscreen on hand as a business owner?

Do you really want the drop in productivity that will result from one of your employees dropping from the heat?

Stay cool...