Outdoor Heat Exposure Plan — Washington

1. Purpose and scope

These outdoor heat exposure procedures are part of the Accident Prevention Program of [Company name]. They apply whenever employees work outdoors at or above 80°F, or at or above 52°F when wearing nonbreathing clothes such as vapor barrier suits.

WAC 296-62-09510

2. Responsibilities

[Plan administrator (name and title)] is responsible for this plan, phone [Plan administrator phone]. The plan administrator makes sure supplies are available, supervisors are trained, and the plan is reviewed every year before the hot season.

Supervisors and foremen who carry out this plan on site: [Supervisors and foremen who carry out this plan on site]

Every worker is expected to drink water often, take cool-down rest when needed, watch out for co-workers, and report symptoms right away.

3. Drinking water

Suitably cool drinking water is readily accessible and free, enough for each employee to drink at least one quart per hour. Workers are encouraged to drink often and are not required to wait to be thirsty.

[How drinking water is provided]

WAC 296-62-09540

4. Shade and cool-down rest

At 80°F and above, shade or another equally effective means of cooling is provided as close as practical to the work and large enough for everyone on a break to use it.

[How shade or cooling is provided]

Employees may take a paid preventative cool-down rest whenever they need it to protect themselves from overheating. The rest lasts long enough to cool down.

Workers report heat illness symptoms in themselves or a co-worker to a supervisor immediately. No one is disciplined for reporting symptoms or for taking a cool-down rest.

WAC 296-62-09535

5. Checking the weather

[Who checks the forecast and heat index, and how]

When a heat advisory or excessive heat warning is issued, supervisors put the high-heat procedures in place for that day.

6. High-heat procedures (90°F and above)

At 90°F and above, supervisors put these procedures in place:

How workers are observed: [How workers are observed at 90°F and above]

• Mandatory cool-down rest of at least 10 minutes every 2 hours at 90°F and above.
• Mandatory cool-down rest of at least 15 minutes every hour at 100°F and above.
• These rests are paid and may run at the same time as the rest breaks already required by WAC 296-126-092.
• Workers are closely observed by regular radio or phone contact with lone workers, a mandatory buddy system, or another effective means.

WAC 296-62-09547

7. Acclimatization

Workers newly assigned to outdoor heat, or returning after 7 or more days away, are closely observed for their first 14 days, as are all workers during a heat wave (a day at or above the trigger temperature and at least 10°F above the average high of the previous five days). Supervisors consider lighter work, shorter exposure and more frequent breaks during this period.

WAC 296-62-09545

8. Emergency response

Workers reach a supervisor this way: [How workers reach a supervisor during the shift]

Designated to call 911: [Who is designated to call 911]. Anyone who sees a worker with signs of severe heat illness calls 911 right away.

Directions for emergency responders: [How you give emergency responders directions to each job site]

A worker with symptoms is relieved from duty, cooled, and monitored to decide whether medical attention is needed. A cell phone counts as communication only where reception is reliable.

• Signs of heat stroke (confusion, slurred speech, fainting, seizures, hot skin, no sweating): call 911, move the worker to shade, cool them with water, ice or wet cloths, and stay with them until help arrives.
• Signs of heat exhaustion (heavy sweating, headache, dizziness, nausea, cramps): stop work, rest in shade, drink water, loosen clothing, and keep watching; call 911 if it gets worse or doesn't improve.
• Never leave a sick worker alone and never send them home without offering first aid or emergency medical services.

WAC 296-62-09550

9. Training

Employees and supervisors are trained before outdoor work in heat and at least once a year after that. Training covers:

• Environmental and personal risk factors for heat-related illness, including clothing and PPE, and removing heat-retaining PPE during breaks.
• The importance of drinking small quantities of water often, and of acclimatization.
• Signs and symptoms of heat-related illness, and the importance of reporting them right away.
• This company's procedures for water, shade, cool-down rests, high heat and emergency response.
• For supervisors: carrying out these procedures, responding to symptoms, and monitoring the weather.

WAC 296-62-09560

10. Review

[Plan administrator (name and title)] reviews these procedures with the rest of the Accident Prevention Program at least once a year and after any heat-related incident.

WAC 296-155-110