About the Webinar:
The management of heat stress uses a wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) trigger that was established almost 50 years ago. While this exposure assessment tool remains valid, the surrounding actions to manage a heat stress exposure have evolved, especially over the last 10 years. This webinar is designed to address three issues associated with managing heat stress. The first is exposure assessment. While the standard of practice is a WBGT-based assessment using the NIOSH REL or ACGIH® TLV®, Heat Index has become a common substitute for outdoor exposures and alternative heat balance methods like Predicted Heat Strain (PHS) and Thermal Work Limit (TWL) are available. This session will describe the ability of these methods to assess heat stress and the additional risk associated with exposures above the recommended limits. A second issue is acclimatization, which is an important adaptation to heat stress with proven improvements in heat tolerance. Acclimatization protocols for workplaces will be presented. Third, personal risk factors remain a wild card in the management of heat stress. One way to communicate personal risk factors is to include a discussion during training and provide written material. Another way is early recognition of heat-related disorders and an appropriate first aid along with an emergency plan.
