New guidelines being developed to help protect outdoor workers

by jason_cramp | July 9, 2015 10:33 am

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New guidelines to help protect workers from a number of extreme weather conditions will be made available by Workplace Safety & Prevention Services by the end of 2016.

A new guideline to protect workers from a number of extreme weather conditions, such as high heat and humidity and cold temperatures, will be made available to employers by the end of 2016.

According to Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS), when complete, CSA Z1010—Management of Work in Extreme Conditions will provide a made-in-Canada set of guidelines for workplaces dealing with these conditions inside, outside, and in confined spaces.

Dave Shanahan, CSA’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) standards project manager, says grouping extreme conditions together will make it easier for workplaces to develop a comprehensive program in line with their existing health and safety management policies.

Like the existing standards in the CSA Z1000 series, CSA Z1010 will be systems-based, whereby offering continuous improvement framework featuring processes for identifying and eliminating hazards; assessing and controlling risks associated with hazards that cannot be eliminated; implementing hazard reduction structures and practices; and fostering a health and safety culture.

To address heat hazards now, employers can minimize risks by developing some of the following policies and procedures:

“This time of year we see situations where people can easily become dehydrated and suffer heat stress,” says Shanahan. “Other risks for workers include burns and melanoma. Young workers are particularly at risk as they are not used to working in the heat; they tend to overdo it without realizing what danger they are in by working too hard.”

Endnotes:
  1. [Image]: http://poolspamarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/New_Guidelines_In.jpg

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/new-guidelines-in-development-to-help-protect-outdoor-workers/