When school employees are working in the heat, safety comes first. With a new tool, employees can have vital safety information available whenever and wherever they need it — right on their mobile phone.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has a free application for mobile devices that will enable school staff and supervisors, coaches and band directors to monitor the heat index to prevent heat-related illnesses among staff or students.
The app is designed for devices using Android, Blackberry and iPhone platforms, and combines data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with the user’s location.
The app allows users to calculate the heat index for their site, and, based on the heat index, displays a risk level to outdoor workers. Then, with a simple click, the app generates reminders about the protective measures that should be taken at that risk level to protect workers or students from heat-related illness—reminders about drinking enough fluids, scheduling rest breaks, planning for and knowing what to do in an emergency, adjusting work operations, gradually building up the workload for new workers, training on heat illness signs and symptoms, and monitoring each other for signs and symptoms of heat-related illness.
OSHA’s Campaign to Prevent Heat Illness in Outdoor Workers provides a number of resources that can be downloaded for free. Download the app and other heat-related tools, including workplace posters and other information here.
For specific information on student related heat issues, check out the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s website,
—For more information, contact your KSBIT loss control representative at 1-800-876-4552.