Work injuries are not just broken bones and sore backs. A work injury can also come from extreme weather conditions such as high temperatures or a high heat index. For the many Alabama workers and workers throughout the world who work outside in rough climates, a cellphone application is available to help prevent a work injury related to heat.
OSHA has come up with an app called the Heat Safety Tool. It is currently available for iPhones and Androids. The app is designed to measure the heat index of an outdoor work location and provide thorough, invaluable advice regarding how to avoid heat injuries among workers on the job.
Because heat is invisible, it is too easy for workers and their employers to underestimate the danger it poses. Experience proves, however, that heat is a work danger that legitimately leads to worker illness and death in extreme cases. Therefore, employers are required by law to reasonably protect workers from the heat.
If a worker feels that his or her health has been compromised due to lack of employer protection, they might have legal options. Targeting employers for supposed negligence not only can help an individual worker who might have a workers' compensation claim; it can also help send a message to an employer and, therefore, inspire better safety measures that will benefit numerous others.
Source: Southwest Farm Press, "Heat safety phone app," June 29, 2012
