Emergency Treatment Program - Heat Stress Monitoring

Another factor of an Emergency Treatment Program is heat stress monitoring.

Monitoring is the process of observing employees. It occurs when there is a question about employee exposure to hazardous substances, and it ensures that employees are not exposed to levels above permissible exposure limits or other published exposure limits of hazardous substances. You also learned that there are two types of monitoring: initial site entry monitoring (to ensure that employees involved in the first entry into the site are being carefully observed for any potential hazards) and ongoing monitoring (to observe the safety of site employees throughout the project and as the site changes).

For an Emergency Treatment Program, employers must establish protocol for monitoring heat stress. This could include a buddy system that involves (among other tasks) checking one's buddy for signs of heat stress, worksite monitoring and communication (via radio) to conduct constant heat checks, and heat checks appropriate to the level of PPE the employee is wearing.

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