With the arrival of summer, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched a national outreach initiative to educate workers and their employers about the hazards of working outdoors in the heat and steps needed to prevent heat-related illnesses.

The Dangers of Heat
According to OSHA, each year thousands of outdoor workers experience heat illness, which often manifests as heat exhaustion. If not quickly addressed, heat exhaustion can become heat stroke, which killed more than 30 workers last year. Heat can be a real danger for your country club staff especially in jobs on the course.

Guidance for Keeping Workers Safe
OSHA has created a new website featuring a variety of educational resources to give workers and employer’s information about heat illnesses and how to prevent them. There are also training tools for employers to use and posters to display at their worksites. OSHA will continue to add information and tools to this page throughout the summer. You may access the website by clicking here.

OSHA is also partnering with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on weather service alerts that will incorporate worker safety precautions when heat alerts are issued across the United States. NOAA's Heat Watch page now includes worker safety precautions when extreme heat alerts are issued. 

"Protect Workers from Heat Related Illnesses" July 2011 <HR and Benefits Newsletter> (July 2011) Brought to you by ClubPay