A long day in the lumberyard can be strenuous, but when the summer temperatures skyrocket, a long day in the lumber yard becomes dangerous. As such, LBM leaders can take a proactive approach to mitigating heat-related risks by taking proper precautions to prevent illness to safeguard their teams and businesses.

The risks of extreme heat extend far beyond what once may have simply been looked on as part of the job. Employees working in outdoor environments are vulnerable to heat fatigue, exhaustion and stroke. Such conditions are a result of progressively dangerous dehydration tied to increasingly intense heat and humidity. Fatigue can reduce concentration and impact reaction time, making operation of machinery or handling material more difficult. Left untreated, these situations can quickly spiral, leading to heat stroke. Once the point of heat stroke is reached, the human body can no longer regulate temperature and the risk of death rises dramatically regardless of age or health.

On the business side, if an LBM business does not address heat related exposures, and an employee experiences an incident, the business could incur penalties from the Occupational Safety and health Administration (OSHA), higher workers’ compensation insurance costs and potential lawsuits. As such, LBM leaders must ensure they have a heat illness prevention program to avoid such situations and protect employees.

Preventing Heat Related Illness

A heat illness prevention program is exactly as described: a protocol to help LBM leaders and their team members prevent heat related illness and injuries. Documenting and operationalizing such a program helps ensure safety training can be implemented across the workforce in response to an incident and all workers are able to identify a potentially dangerous situation. Consider the following elements of a heat illness prevention program:

  • Prevention Strategies: LBM leaders and managers should regularly monitor the weather and flag particularly hot days. When the heat index reaches 80 degrees, management should ensure employees have regular access to clean water, consistent breaks, rotational work zones to limit sun exposure and consider beginning the day earlier to avoid outdoor work during the hottest part of the day. As temperatures climb, breaks should be closer together and sun exposure should be increasingly limited. In some cases, management should consider postponing outdoor projects to a safer time, if possible.
  • Identifying Illness: All team members, management and non-management, should be trained on how to identify heat illness. From light cases that exhibit reduced concentration, to extreme cases where dizziness, nausea and weakness are exhibited, everyone on site should be able to recognize when a team member might be struggling and report it if necessary.
  • Emergency Response: Serious cases of heat exhaustion might require first aid level care and medical attention. LBM leaders should clearly define emergency response protocols and train employees on when and how to use them. Protocols should outline who to contact, when to call an ambulance and what steps to take while waiting for medical assistance.

Even with a strong prevention program, employees can still fall victim to heat related incidents. LBM leaders should ensure workers’ compensation coverage is in place to protect again the financial impacts such an incident could cause. An insurance professional who specializes in the LBM niche can help evaluate a company’s workers’ compensation coverage and aid in developing an effective heat illness prevention program.

The summer months can be a busy time for LBM organizations, but leaders should not let the work to be done supersede employee safety risks posed by seasonal temperatures or work conditions. Before peak heat this summer, LBM leaders should evaluate their heat-related illness protocols and ensure their teams are equipped with the necessary tools to protect each other and the organization.

About the Author

Laura Page is the director of Green Tree Risk Partners. As a member company of Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company, Green Tree operates as a wholesale brokerage and program business placement specialist, providing workers’ compensation, property, casualty, commercial auto and umbrella, and other coverages in eligible wood industry classes.