Summer’s right around the corner and that means workers will be dealing with hot weather conditions soon. Every year, thousands of U.S. workers become sick from occupational heat exposure, and some of those cases are fatal, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Between 50% and 70% of outdoor fatalities occur in the first few days of working in warm or hot environments because the body needs to build a tolerance to the heat gradually over time, a process called heat acclimatization. Here’s what you need to know about heat acclimatization.
See our article Back to Basics: Are You Prepared for Another Hot Summer? for more information. The CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) also has good information on heat acclimatization.
