| The Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has updated and modernized the graphic design with respect to previous years, and is already disseminating the information leaflets among agents social and economic | Advice is offered such as drinking fresh water frequently and in small quantities, and first aid is also indicated in the event of such an accident. The Ministry of Employment, Research and Universities, through the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (ISSL), launches a new campaign of prevention of heat stroke at work, which updates and modernizes its design with respect to previous summer periods and that focuses especially on agriculture and construction.
The campaign includes the distribution of 3,000 informative leaflets, dissemination on social networks, the provision of information sheets through the Institute's website, and the sending of alerts regarding the risk derived from high temperatures, also via the web. The high temperatures that are reached in the Region during the summer period require that extreme preventive measures be taken in order to avoid occupational exposures that are dangerous to health.
For this, the works carried out in the agriculture sectors (mainly those carried out in greenhouses, but also those carried out outdoors), construction and public works are especially sensitive. The information leaflets are already being disseminated among employers, associations, professional colleges and unions, so that these in turn transfer them to both employers and workers.
These graphic documents detail, in both Spanish and Arabic, the main measures to be adopted to avoid heat stroke at work; information on the most common symptoms presented by a worker stressed by high temperatures, and first aid to apply. Likewise, this year a special mention is added to the need to use protection elements against the covid-19, as well as hygiene and distance measures. The general director of Social Dialogue and Labor Welfare, Purificación Cuadrupani, presented the campaign today, and stressed that "it is essential that both the employer and the worker have sufficient information to avoid risks due to high temperatures.
It must also be remembered that, in addition, ISSL inspectors advise companies on the risk of exposure to high temperatures and the measures they should take, especially in the construction and agriculture sectors.
" Regarding the measures to take into account, the campaign recommends achieving a work environment that is as fresh and dry as possible; decrease the intensity of work, especially in the hours of greatest heat stroke; Keep in mind that during breaks you should rest in cool places and in the shade, and drink fresh water frequently and in small quantities (one glass every fifteen or twenty minutes). In addition, the campaign recalls that cardiorespiratory diseases, as well as excess weight, advanced age, alcohol intake and continued medication are factors that increase the risk of suffering heat stroke. Symptoms Regarding the symptoms presented by workers with thermal stress, the specific diptych is that of acceleration of the heart pulse; elevation of body temperature, which can reach 42 degrees Celsius; intense fatigue and sudden nausea, dizziness or dizziness; disorientation or confusion; irritability, and interruption of sweating, which leads to the skin becoming hot and especially dry. Finally, regarding the first aid to apply, the campaign reminds that, in case of heat stroke, the emergency number 112 should be called; place the injured person in a cool and airy place; remove unnecessary clothing and aerate the worker; refresh the victim's skin with the application of fresh compresses on the head; fan the victim to lower the skin temperature; Do not try to control the seizures of the victim, if they have them, to avoid serious muscle or joint injuries, and place a soft object under his head. Some of the entities to which the campaign material has been sent are Coag, Croem, Asaja, UGT, CCOO, Proexport, Fecoam, Fecamur, Apoexpa, Fremm, Frecom, the College of Industrial Engineers of the Murcia Region, the Construction Labor Foundation or the Association of Autonomous Workers, among others. Heat stress accident figure In 2020, no occupational accident has yet been registered due to exposure to high temperatures.
With regard to 2019, a total of five were counted, of which four were mild and one severe.
Two occurred in agriculture, two in industry and one in the service sector.
