Dozens of workers die each year, and thousands more become sick while working in extreme heat or humidity, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration .

If your employees must work in hot environments, it’s important to know the risks and symptoms of heat-related illnesses, and how you can prevent them. Many factors have an impact on workplace risk for heat stress, ranging from the environment to physical condition of the employees. Workers at highest risk tend to be those who are over 65 years old, are overweight, have heart disease, have high blood pressure or take medications that may be affected by extreme heat.

Environmental factors

Environmental factors to consider in evaluating employees’ risk of working in hot conditions include:

• Temperature, clothing and exertion requirements.
• Humidity – high humidity impacts the effectiveness of perspiration.
• Wind – it can assist the body in cooling, but in high temperatures with high humidity it may actually increase heating of the body.

Know the types of heat stress

There are a number of different types of heat-related illnesses, which range in severity. They include:

• Heat cramps
  Painful muscle spasms most likely in the arms, legs and abdominal area. Heat cramps are caused by sweating during strenuous activity and failing to replace the fluids and salt lost from sweating.
• Heat exhaustion
  Symptoms include profuse sweating, headaches, extreme weakness or fatigue, dizziness, fast pulse, rapid breathing and nausea or vomiting.
• Heat or sun stroke
  Symptoms include a very high body temperature (104 degrees F or higher); mental confusion, delirium or hallucinations; rapid breathing and pulse; hot, dry, red or mottled skin; convulsions; and loss of consciousness. Seek medical help immediately and keep the person cool with fans, ice and water until help arrives.

Prevent heat-related illness among your employees

OSHA recommends that employers with workers exposed to high temperatures:

• Monitor conditions regularly and follow consistent work practices.
• Train your employees about signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion, as well as the importance of hydration – See our 5-Minute Solution on heat stress which is also available in Spanish .
• Provide breaks as needed by the conditions.
• Consider completing outdoor tasks either early in the morning or in the evening whenever possible.

Educate employees on how to prevent heat-related illness

Employees have a role to play in protecting themselves from heat-related illness. Educate your employees on prevention by telling them to:

• Adjust themselves to the heat through short exposure periods followed by longer exposure until their body is acclimated to the heat. It may take 14 days or longer.
• Drink lots of liquid to replenish the fluid that their body is losing through sweating. Drink water to stay hydrated (about 1 cup every 15 minutes), and electrolyte drinks (sports drinks) to replace salt. A 3:1 ratio of sports drinks to water is commonly recommended. Don’t wait to drink until you’re thirsty, and avoid alcohol and caffeinated beverages.
• Do not ignore possible symptoms of heat stress. If their muscles cramp or if they feel very hot, dizzy or nauseous, then they should stop, hydrate, rest and cool off in the shade or air-conditioned area.
• Wear light-colored and loose-fitting clothes. Cotton breathes better than synthetic fabrics.
• Schedule work activities during the coolest parts of the day.
• Take the time to rest and cool down before they feel symptoms of heat stress.
• Report symptoms of heat-related illness in themselves or coworkers to their supervisor immediately.

You or your supervisors can use SFM’s 5-minute solutions training talk on heat stress as a guide to talk with employees.

Use heat safety app to identify dangerous conditions

OSHA and the National Institute for Safety and Health have created a free heat safety mobile app to make employers and workers aware of whether the heat index in their area creates a risk for heat-related illness.

The app also provides recommendations for preventing heat stress based on the risk level.

Learn more about preventing heat-related illness among employees

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration offer a number of resources that can help you protect your employees from heat stress, including:

• OSHA’s Occupational heat exposure page
• CDC’s Heat and outdoor workers page
• CDC’s Heat-related illness page
• CDC’s Tips for preventing heat-related illness page
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health booklet, Occupational Exposure to Heat and Hot Environments

Maintaining neutral posture can go a long way in preventing injuries before they happen at work. Over the past couple of years many employees have shifted in how and where they work. Some are working more from home. Some are returning to a workplace after a long hiatus. Whether your employees are adapting to new workplace arrangements or haven’t seen much change at all, it’s a good time for a refresher on how to set up workstations ergonomically to prevent pain and strain.

How to maintain a neutral posture while sitting at work

No matter whether you’re working from a standing or seated position, the goal is to achieve a neutral body position.

Follow these six ergonomic tips for maintaining proper posture:

• Keep your feet resting comfortably on the floor or on a footrest.
• Your thighs should be fully supported by the chair seat, with your hips at a 90 to 110 degree angle.
• The backrest of your chair should support the natural curve of the back.
• Your upper arms should be resting comfortably at your side, with elbows at a 90 to 100 degree angle.
• Your head should be centered over your neck and shoulders.
• Don’t lean forward in your chair to avoid putting strain on the neck and back.

How to maintain a neutral posture while standing

Increasing numbers of desk workers are turning to sit-stand workstations, or standing desks.

Follow these seven tips to maintain an ergonomic posture while working at a standing desk:

• Feet should be resting comfortably on an even surface.
• Wear shoes with insoles.
• Stand on an anti-fatigue mat with beveled edges that sits flat on the floor.
• Keep your knees unlocked.
• Your upper arms should rest comfortably at your side, with elbows at a 90-100 degree angle.
• Wrists should be held straight, not pressing into the edge of a counter or table.
• Your head should be centered over your neck and shoulders.

Add movement: The 20-8-2 rule

Even after your workstation setup is optimized for your comfort, you shouldn’t sit there all day. If your job is predominantly sedentary, try to build in at least two hours of movement throughout the day.

The 20-8-2 rule offers a quick rule of thumb to remind you to change positions and get up and move. This “ideal work pattern” was pioneered by Dr. Alan Hedge, a professor of ergonomics at Cornell University.

For every half-hour of work:

• Sit for 20
• Stand for 8
• Stretch or move for 2

The frequency of position changes may be more important than the length of the break. Changing positions often will help you maintain focus and energy throughout your workday.

Workplace ergonomics tools that can help

There are a number of products available that you can purchase to help you and your employees work with a neutral posture. Many are inexpensive.

These include:

• Headsets
  Cradling a phone between your shoulder and neck can cause strain. If you need your hands free while using the phone, try using a headset instead.
• Mouse bridges / keyboard cushions
  Keyboards should be set flat, and your wrists should be raised and level, resting on a cushion. Avoid placing your wrists on the edge of the table or desk. This also applies when using a mouse. Your keyboard and your mouse should both be in easy reach.
• Adjustable monitor stands
  Use adjustable monitor stands to keep the screen of your monitor at eye level, or slightly below eye level for those who use bifocals. They are usually inexpensive and easy to use. Center the monitor in front of your keyboard.
• Document holders
  Instead of looking at a piece of paper lying flat on the table, use a document holder to keep the page in line with your computer, keeping everything at eye level. This will prevent excessively bending your neck, and it’s easier to read.
• Risers
  A riser is a wedge-shaped product that can be placed on the floor under the desk. If the height adjustment on your chair leaves your feet unable to touch the ground, use a riser to give yourself a footrest. They are adjustable and inexpensive, and they take the weight off your upper thighs and reduce pressure from the chair edge.
• Adjustable chairs
  Making sure your chair is the right size is one of the easiest ways to improve comfort. Make sure the height, seat, arms and recline are all adjustable. If the table or counter you work at isn’t adjustable, be sure to set the height of your chair so that your arms rest comfortably at your sides and don’t press into the edge of the table or counter. Adjust your chair so that you maintain neutral positions.
• Sit-stand workstations
  Sit-stand workstations can help keep you from sitting all day long, but it’s important to shift between sitting and standing. Switching to standing all day won’t prevent strains and pains — it just moves them to different areas. Going back and forth between the two throughout the day is the best way to utilize sit-stand workstations. When choosing a sit-stand workstation, ensure the desk goes low enough to reach your ideal height when seated, which is the measurement from your elbows to the floor when sitting with feet flat to the floor and shoulders relaxed.

Alternative workstations and laptop ergonomics

Using a laptop or mobile device can make it harder to achieve a neutral posture, so here are some additional tips for laptop and tablet ergonomics. If you’re have a treadmill desk or standing desk, consider the risks and benefits of alternative workstations.

Download and print a PDF of these workplace ergonomics tips and keep them handy so you remember how to maintain a neutral posture and keep active at work.