TDOT, Rural Metro shares how they keep crews safe in summer heat

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Now that summer is here, temperatures are starting to get hotter with slim chances of it cooling down anytime soon , and those who work outside must take extra precautions.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, extreme heat is considered a workplace hazard. The agency added that water, rest, and shade are most the important resources for those who work outside.

“We’re looking out for each other, most work sites, the safest workplaces is — everybody is looking out for each other’s health,” said Tennessee OSHA assistant commissioner, Larry Hunt.

Tennessee OSHA said they speak to employers every year about the risks heat can bring.

“Train your employees, let them know what your requirements are, let them know if you, again, some employers will let their employees start earlier in the cooler hours of the day, everything that the employer can do that they will allow the employees to do – empower them to help take care of themselves,” said Hunt.

For some employees, working outside is unavoidable, like for the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

“During these extreme hot weather conditions, we want to make sure our workers are staying safe,” said TDOT spokesperson, Mark Nagi.

Many employers said hydration is key when it comes to keeping their workers safe in the summer.

“The one thing we tell our guys is just to drink a lot of water drink before your shift, hydrate ahead of time, don’t wait until the day of the event to start hydrating,” said Rural Metro Fire’s Jeff Bagwell.

For Rural Metro Fire and TDOT, being out in the heat is no surprise, but they do say summer temperatures compound problems.

“It just adds more elements to the equation and makes it more dangerous for us,” said Bagwell. “So to have a fire in this kind of heat is pretty intense for us anyway, but it even makes it worse when the temperature is up in the 90’s.”

Besides supplying water, and a place for rest and shade, TDOT uses another method to keep their employees safe.

“When at all possible, we’ll get this done earlier in the day or after hours so it’s not in the peak hot weather time of the day,” said Nagi.

He said this also helps with traffic on the road when they are working on repairs. As for Rural Metro Fire, they don’t have the opportunity to choose the time they work, so they stick to training.

“We don’t particularly like it sometimes, but we do train in this kind of weather, and the side effects or the good part of that is that then we are used to it, just like the football team practices in the summer heat in august to prepare for going down to the swamp in September and October,” said Bagwell.

In a statement to 6 News, USPS also said they train their employees on Heat Illness Prevention before they can start working for the Postal Service.

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