Items Tagged with 'extreme environments'

We sat down recently to talk to Dr. Douglas J. Casa, CEO of the University of Connecticut-based Korey Stringer Institute (KSI). The mission of the KSI is to provide research, education, advocacy and consultation to maximize performance, optimize safety and prevent sudden death for the athlete, warfighter and laborer.

Workers who are required to do their jobs in extremely hot environments — from construction sites to chemical plants and offshore oil rigs — can be at risk of serious heat-related injuries and illnesses.

Hot, bulky, too tight or too loose - what starts out as required personal protective equipment (PPE) can become oppressive after four, eight or even 12 hours at work. The temptation for an overheated worker to pull off a glove or hood, roll up sleeves or unzip a coverall for a moment of relief can be irresistible.

The topic of worker heat exposure has made headlines across the country in recent years. In January of this year, OSHA leveled a fine of $149,664 for violations of the General Duty Clause in response to the 2018 death of a California Postal Worker.

Superman doesn't sweat. It's something I recently found out. It doesn't make sense to me, but I guess that when you're pretty much invulnerable and you shoot laser beams from your eyes, it's no surprise that he doesn't overheat. For us mere mortals, we need to deal with the everyday occurrence of being susceptible to extreme temperatures.