BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT)- When summer temperatures sky rocket, a quick trip to the pool or some relaxing shade can be the perfect answer. If you work outdoors, however, there’s no escaping the oppressive summer heat.
“Obviously humidity, high humidity affects the heat index. It can be very dangerous, it can precipitate heat stroke, even go as far as to cause heart attacks,” says Dr. Jonathan Moore. Because people who work outdoors are forced to face the elements daily, they’re often the most at risk.
“It’s length of exposure that has a direct corrolation to how much at risk they put themselves, and it’s the time of the day, if it’s with the direct sunlight,” says Dr. Moore. Now OSHA is offering some technological help by releasing a new app that helps those workers monitor their situations. “I think it’s great, any type of education as long as it’s not medically misleading would be helpful,” says Dr. Moore. To down load the app you can visit http://go.usa.gov/KFE . As of right now the app is only available on the Droid platform, but versions for the iPhone and Blackberry are in the works.
EHS Safety News America 