CHICAGO – As temperatures soar this week with an excessive heat watch starting Thursday, James McHugh Construction Co. has a protocol for teaching workers how to handle and prevent heat-related injuries.
"The heat has a cumulative effect on everyone. It wears workers out. So we talk to every worker on how to identify those who are fatigued, and we rotate those workers into less labor intensive jobs," said Scott Mladic, safety director for McHugh.
The Occupation Safety and Health Administration has recommendations for managing heat stress in the workplace, but no set standard for workers in hot environments. But a new bill aims to change that by mandating that companies abide by a federal heat standard designed to protect employees.
Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., and Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., have introduced a bill that would require employers to provide workers paid water breaks in cool places, access to water and heat-related training.
Only three states — California, Washington and Minnesota — have workplace heat standards in place.
Illinois Department of Labor spokesman Mike Matulis said that to prevent heat illnesses, companies need to provide adequate amounts of water and additional breaks if workers are feeling fatigued.
Chicago-based McHugh provides workers with plenty of water and Gatorade, Mladic said. He said cooling locations are installed throughout the Vista Tower construction project in order to give workers a respite from the scorching sun.
McHugh isn't the only company taking measures to ensure workplace safety. Clark Construction, a Bethesda, Md.-based construction firm, has its own set of policies.
