Heat stress guidelines can help you cope at the workplace

IPOH: Assess and adopt measures to counter heat stress at workplaces to minimise impact of hot weather conditions, says Occupational Safety and Health Department deputy director-general (occupational health) Majahar Abd Rahman.

He said the people can refer to the department’s Heat Stress Management at Workplace Guidelines on how to evaluate the situation and come up with recommendations to protect workers from heatstroke or other health conditions.

“There are heat stress instruments that can be used to evaluate the situation at a workplace.

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“The tools can be used to determine the risk level, which could be low, medium or high,” he said after the flagging off of the OSH Fun Run@Ipoh Low Carbon Day by Buntong assemblyman M. Thulsi Thivani here yesterday.

According to the guidelines, these instruments included dry bulb sensor, globe temperature sensor, air velocity sensor and natural wet bulb sensor.

“From there, the recommended countermeasures can be implemented.

“These can include using automation to reduce impact from hot weather, using insulation to protect from heat or shielding workers from radiant heat at the workplace,” Majahar said.

“Other measures include using a buddy system, having standard operating procedure for emergencies, work schedules, water breaks and encouraging regular health checks,” he added.

Malaysia has been hit by hot weather conditions since January.

Several states in the country have been seeing scorching weather with temperature exceeding 40°C in some locations.

Majahar said there had already been a few reports of workers suffering heat stress and heatstroke.

“The guideline is meant to help manage and tackle the matter holistically,” he added.

Alliance for a Safe Community founder and chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said employers in Malaysia must start investing in the safety and health of their workers, in light of global climate change.

He said extreme weather due to climate change would have a negative impact on employees, especially those working in the field.

“The rising temperatures are causing stress to employees, especially among outdoor workers such as construction workers,” he said when contacted.

He voiced concerns that climate change could also cause other problems such as the spread of diseases since changes in temperature could lead to the spread of vector-borne diseases like dengue and fever.

“Employers must educate their workers on the health and safety aspect, and they must ensure their employees are adequately protected by investing more in their health and safety.

“Cost-saving should not be at the expense of the safety and health. This means that employers need to invest,” he said.