Transcript Verbal Crisis Intervention - Albuquerque Public Schools

Risk Management
Department
Sun & Heat
Safety
April, 2008
1
Sun and Heat
Safety
Introduction
This training contains information about the risks
posed by ultraviolet radiation (UV), the effects of
heat and sunlight, and steps you can take to protect
yourself from overexposure.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Introduction
In this training we will cover:
 The sun and UV radiation
 Hazards of sun exposure
 Hazards of heat exposure
 Guidelines for protection
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Sun and Heat
Safety
The Sun and UV Radiation
 The sun is the energy source that sustains all life on earth.
Ultraviolet Radiation (UV) is simply one form of energy coming
from the sun.
 Even though you may have only just started hearing about UV
and the effects it has on you, it is nothing new.
 The effects of sunlight can be dangerous.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
The Sun and UV Radiation
 Even on cloudy or overcast days, UV rays travel through the
clouds and reflect off sand, water, and even concrete. Clouds
and pollution don't filter out UV rays, and they can give a false
sense of protection.
 Some clouds can increase the UV intensity on the ground by
reflecting and refracting the sun's rays. People can also be
caught unawares when a small break in an overcast deck of
clouds allows a brief burst of intense radiation to reach the
ground.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
The Sun and UV Radiation
 Cold air can also be deceptive as temperature is not directly
related to UV intensity.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
The Sun and UV Radiation
 Of course, mere exposure to the sun is not the entire story. The
effects are dependent on you, your level of pigmentation, how
much of a tan you already have as well as the nature of your
skin.
 Production of your skin's pigment, or melanin, is stimulated by
sun exposure and does reduce your risk of sunburn once you
are already tan. Be aware that even dark-skinned individuals
can be sunburned and damage their skin with over exposure.
 Obviously, fair-skinned individuals need to exercise more
caution. You should also be aware that the sun's rays have
different intensities at different times of the year.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Hazards of Sun Exposure
Sunburn
 A sunburn develops when the amount of UV exposure is greater
than what can be protected against by the skin's melanin. The
lighter your skin, the less melanin it has to absorb UV and
protect itself. And all skin, no matter what color, responds to
continued sun exposure by thickening and hardening, resulting
in leathery skin and wrinkles later in life.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Hazards of Sun Exposure
Sunburn
 Unprotected sun exposure is even more dangerous if you have
moles on your skin, very fair skin and hair, or a family history of
skin cancer, including melanoma.
 You should be especially careful about sun protection if you
have one or more of these high-risk characteristics.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Hazards of Sun Exposure
Skin Cancer
 According to the American Cancer Society (1999), skin cancer is
the most common of all cancers. The incidence of skin cancer
is greater than the incidence of breast, lung, prostate,
colorectal, and kidney cancers combined.
 In the United States, about 1.3 million
new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed
each year.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Hazards of Sun Exposure
Skin Cancer
 More than one million new cases of basal cell and squamous cell
carcinoma are detected each year.
 47,000 new cases of malignant melanoma
are diagnosed each year.
 Each year skin cancer will claim the lives
of approximately 9,800 people.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Hazards of Sun Exposure
Skin Cancer
 Exposure to UV radiation appears to be the most important
environmental factor in the development of skin cancer.
 Skin cancer is a largely preventable disease. Exposure to UV
radiation may be the most important preventable factor in
determining a person's risk for skin cancer.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Hazards of Sun Exposure
Eye Damage
 Sunlight is the primary source of UV radiation that can damage
tissues of the eye.
 Spending long hours in the sun without eye protection increases
the chances of developing eye diseases, including cataracts.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Hazards of Sun Exposure
Eye Damage
 Excess exposure to UV radiation may increase the incidence of
cataracts. Cataracts are a form of eye damage that causes the
loss of transparency in the lens, clouding vision.
 Another potential effect of UV radiation is a "burning" of the eye
surface, called "snow blindness" or photokeratitis from
sunlight. The effects usually disappear within a couple of days,
but may lead to further complications later in life.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Hazards of Sun Exposure
Photo Aging/Wrinkling
 Chronic overexposure to the sun changes the texture and
weakens the elastic properties of the skin. The epidermis,
which is the outer layer of the skin, thickens, becomes leathery,
and wrinkles as a result of sun exposure.
 Sun-induced skin damage causes wrinkles and furrows, easy
bruising, brown or "liver spots", precancerous lesions (actinic
keratoses), and potentially skin cancer.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Hazards of Heat Exposure
 High temperatures and humidity stress the body's ability to cool
itself, and heat illness becomes a special concern during hot
weather.
 There are three major forms of heat illnesses:
• Heat cramps
• Heat exhaustion
• Heat stroke
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Hazards of Heat Exposure
Heat Cramps
 Heat cramps are muscle spasms which usually affect the arms,
legs, or stomach. Frequently they don't occur until sometime
later after work, at night, or when relaxing.
 Heat cramps are caused by heavy sweating,
especially when water is replaced by drinking,
but not salt or potassium. Although heat
cramps can be quite painful, they usually
don't result in permanent damage.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Hazards of Heat Exposure
Heat Exhaustion
 Heat exhaustion is more serious than heat cramps. It occurs
when the body's internal air-conditioning system is overworked,
but hasn't completely shut down.
 In heat exhaustion, the surface blood vessels and capillaries
which originally enlarged to cool the blood collapse from loss of
body fluids and necessary minerals.
This happens when you don't drink
enough fluids to replace what you are
sweating away.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Hazards of Heat Exposure
Heat Exhaustion
 The symptoms of heat exhaustion include: headache, heavy
sweating, intense thirst, dizziness, fatigue, loss of coordination,
nausea, impaired judgment, loss of appetite, hyperventilation,
tingling in hands or feet, anxiety, cool moist skin, weak and
rapid pulse (120-200), and low to normal blood pressure.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Hazards of Heat Exposure
Heat Exhaustion
 Somebody suffering these symptoms should be moved to a cool
location such as a shaded area or air-conditioned building. Have
them lie down with their feet slightly elevated. Loosen their
clothing, apply cool, wet cloths or fan them. Have them drink
water or electrolyte drinks. Try to cool them down, and have
them checked by medical personnel. Victims of heat exhaustion
should avoid strenuous activity for at least a day, and they
should continue to drink water to replace lost body fluids.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Hazards of Heat Exposure
Heat Stroke
 Heat stroke is a life threatening illness that occurs when the
body has depleted its supply of water and salt, and the victim's
body temperature rises to deadly levels.
 A heat stroke victim may first suffer heat cramps and/or the
heat exhaustion before progressing into the heat stroke stage,
but this is not always the case.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Hazards of Heat Exposure
Heat Stroke
 On the job, heat stroke is sometimes mistaken for heart attack.
 Symptoms include a high body temperature (103 degrees F); a
distinct absence of sweating (usually); hot red or flushed dry
skin; rapid pulse; difficulty breathing; constricted pupils; any/all
the signs or symptoms of heat exhaustion such as dizziness,
headache, nausea, vomiting, or confusion, but more severe;
bizarre behavior; and high blood pressure. Advanced symptoms
may be seizure or convulsions, collapse, loss of consciousness,
and a body temperature of over 108° F.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Hazards of Heat Exposure
Heat Stroke
 It is vital to lower a heat stroke victim's body temperature.
Seconds count. Pour water on them, fan them, or apply cold
packs. Call 911 and get an ambulance on the way as soon as
possible.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Guidelines for Protection
Avoid being in the sun for prolonged times when it is highest
overhead and therefore the strongest (normally from 10:00 AM
until 4:00 PM).
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Guidelines for Protection
Eye Protection
 Sunglasses offer excellent protection for your eyes. Like your
skin, your eyes are at risk of damage and trauma if exposed to
too much UV radiation.
 Wear sunglasses that ensure lenses block at least 95% of UV
radiation.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Guidelines for Protection
Eye Protection
 If you wear corrective lenses, add UV-protective coating or
obtain prescription sunglasses if you spend significant periods
outside.
 You can buy protective shades to attach to your glasses or
sunglasses that you can wear over your corrective lenses.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Guidelines for Protection
Skin Protection
 Sunscreen is used to protect your skin from the sun’s damaging
ultraviolet radiation or 'UV'. When choosing a sunscreen that
will protect you, there are a few things you should know:
 No sunscreen offers 100% protection from the sun’s damaging
UV. Even with sunscreen, UV will still get through to the fragile
upper and lower layers of your skin.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Guidelines for Protection
Skin Protection
 Sunscreen should always be used in conjunction with other
forms of protection like hats, sunglasses, clothing and shade.
 Sun protection factor (SPF) 30+ sunscreen offers you maximum
protection from the sun, blocking out 96% of UV.
SPF 15+ will block out 93%.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Guidelines for Protection
Skin Protection
 For sunscreen to be effective at protecting you from sunburn,
put it on 20 minutes before going outside. This gives the
protective elements in sunscreen time to bond to your skin.
 Don’t rub it in--a light film should stay visible. Remember to
reapply every two hours or more regularly if sweating a lot.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Guidelines for Protection
Protective Clothing
 Appropriately designed clothing is great for protecting you from
the sun. Choose clothes that cover the arms, legs and neck to
ensure you are properly protected.
 You won’t get hot or uncomfortable if you choose lightweight
fabrics like cotton or linen. The tests on
clothing show that most polyester/cotton
and cotton clothing items protect against
95% of ultraviolet radiation or 'UV'.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Guidelines for Protection
Protective Clothing
 Some factors can reduce the UV protection of your clothing. If
your clothing gets wet, fades or is a few years old, its ability to
shade against UV will be reduced.
 If you are looking for very high sun protective clothing - for
outdoor work, - choose dark colors, as
they are better at absorbing UV than
light colors.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Guidelines for Protection
Heat
 Anyone can suffer a heat illness, but by taking a few simple
precautions, they can be prevented:
 Condition yourself for working in hot environments - start slowly
then build up to more physical work. Allow your body to adjust
over a few days.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
Guidelines for Protection
Heat
 Drink lots of liquids. Don't wait until you're thirsty, by then,
there's a good chance you're already on your way to being
dehydrated. Electrolyte drinks are good for replacing both water
and minerals lost through sweating. Never drink alcohol, and
avoid caffeinated beverages like coffee and pop.
 Take a break if you notice you are getting a
headache or you start feeling overheated.
Cool off for a few minutes before going
back to work.
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Sun and Heat
Safety
You are finished!
You have finished the Sun and Heat Safety training.
Download the quiz from the Risk Management website’s
training page.
Print the form and be sure to write your name, location and
employee number in the spaces provided.
Complete the ten questions and have your supervisor send it
to the Risk Management office
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