Keeping employees safe during a heat wave
Temperatures have been consistently high in many parts of the country this past month. A heat wave can present risk to employees who work outside, such as those at professional carwashes.
According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), it is important that business owners as well as workers know the signs of heat-related illness and that acting quickly can prevent more serious medical conditions and may even save lives.
For instance, heat stroke is the most serious heat-related illness, according to OSHA. It requires immediate medical attention. Common symptoms of heat stoke include:
- Confusion
- Fainting
- Seizures
- Very high body temperature
- Hot, dry skin or profuse sweating.
OSHA urges businesses to call 911 if a worker is experiencing heat stroke.
On the other hand, heat exhaustion is also a serious illness. When a worker is experiencing heat exhaustion, symptoms include: headache, nausea, dizziness, weakness, thirst and heavy sweating. Heat fatigue, and heat rash are less serious, notes OSHA, but they are still signs of too much heat exposure.
To combat heat illnesses and prepare for a heat wave, OSHA recommends such tips as drinking water every 15 minutes, resting in the shade to cool down and wearing light colors.
Read all of OSHA’s recommendations here.
Working with millennials
In a recent article in Professional Carwashing & Detailing magazine, Stacy Feiner, PsyD, Executive Coach of the Middle Market and author of the book, “Talent Mindset: The Business Owner’s Guide to Building Bench Strength,” offered quick tips for carwash managers. The tips focused on ways managers can increase an employee’s level of engagement when they understand the four key drivers of employee engagement:
- Having clear objectives
- Having the tools to achieve those objectives
- Having an ability to develop new skills and contribute in larger circles
- Having a sense that they are valued and appreciated.
“When managers set out to increase employee engagement in these ways, they can more easily adapt their style in specific ways that improve productivity,” she says.
Read the entire article here.
