Many of us have been experiencing a heatwave over the last few days.  The Met Office forecast that this will peak at the weekend, with an amber warning of extreme heat for much of England and Wales on Sunday, with temperatures widely expected to be mid 30’s on Monday.

Amber warnings of extreme heat are unusual, with caution being expressed in terms of “Population-wide adverse health effects likely to be experienced, not limited to those most vulnerable to extreme heat, leading to potential serious illness or danger to life”.  In addition, there is warning that “Significantly more people are likely to visit coastal areas, lakes and rivers leading to increased risk of water safety incidents.”

In these conditions, it is important we take extra precautions to keep ourselves safe.

For those carrying out work outdoors, the HSE recommend:

• reschedule work to cooler times of the day
• provide more frequent rest breaks and introduce shading to rest areas
• provide free access to cool drinking water
• introduce shading in areas where individuals are working
• encourage the removal of personal protective equipment when resting to help encourage heat loss
• educate workers about recognising the early symptoms of heat stress

In addition, care should be taken when working in the sun to minimise the risk of sun burn – see additional sun care advice in the next article. In addition, care should be taken when working in the sun to minimise the risk of sun burn – see additional sun care advice in the next article.

When working indoors, the recommendations include:

• add or remove layers of clothing depending on how hot or cold you are
• use a desk or pedestal fan to increase air movement
• use window blinds (if available) to cut down on the heating effects of the sun
• in warm situations, drink plenty of water (avoid caffeinated or carbonated drinks)
• if possible, work away from direct sunlight or sources of radiant heat
• take regular breaks to cool down in warm situations and heat up in cold situations

Please take extra care in the coming days to keep yourselves and each other safe… raise any concerns you may have with your Supervisor.

Finally, for those teams responsible for operational or restored sites with open water hazards, please ensure suitable control measures remain in place to deter trespass and facilitate emergency rescue.