Posted: 7/14/2014
Parkland provides tips to avoid heat-related accidents, illnesses
Each year Dallas residents swelter through more than a dozen days of temperatures in the triple digits. And while many look to the summer of 1980 as an extreme heat event with 42 consecutive 100-degree Fahrenheit days, Parkland Health & Hospital System physicians warn that heat exhaustion can be deadly even if temperatures don’t hit the century mark.
A combination of high humidity and temperatures in the ‘90s can have the same effect as triple digit days. That, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is why during summer workers exposed to extreme heat or work in hot environments can easily fall victim to heat-related accidents or injuries. Exposure to extreme heat can result in occupational illnesses and injuries, heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps or heat-related rashes. Since 2010, Parkland Memorial Hospital has seen more than 130 patients with heat-related diagnoses in its emergency department.
“There are a lot of professions where workers are at risk for injuries that directly correspond to the heat,” said Alexander Eastman, MD, Parkland’s Interim Trauma Medical Director. “Topping the list are outdoor workers including police officers, firefighters, farmers, landscapers and those in construction, but it’s just as hard for people working in engineering boiler rooms, bakeries or in factories.”
Heat exhaustion occurs when people are exposed to high temperatures, especially when combined with strenuous physical activity and humidity, and when the body loses fluids and becomes dehydrated. When heat exhaustion elevates, it may result in heat stroke, a life-threatening medical condition occurring when the body’s cooling system, which is controlled by the brain, stops working. The resulting high body temperature causes damage to internal organs, including the brain, and could result in death.
But it’s not just illnesses that occur from extreme heat. So, too, do injuries.
“How many times have you gone from an air conditioned building to the heat outside and your glasses have fogged up? How many times have you almost dropped what you were holding because your hands were sweaty, or the item you were picking up was sweaty,” Dr. Eastman said. “Now combine that with potential dizziness from the extreme heat and it’s a recipe for disaster. A trip on stairs or a curb could result in a trip to the emergency room.
Although critical for outdoor workers, it’s important that everyone know the symptoms of heat-related illnesses, especially heat stroke which is the most serious heat-related disorder. It occurs when the body becomes unable to control its temperature: the body’s temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool down. When heat stroke occurs, body temperature can rise to 106 degrees Fahrenheit or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. Heat stroke can cause death or permanent disability if emergency treatment is not given.
Dr. Eastman offers the following steps to treat a worker with suspected heat stroke:
- Call 911 and notify their supervisor
- Move the sick worker to a cool shaded area
- Cool the worker with methods such as:
- Soaking their clothes with water
- Spraying, sponging or showering them with water
- Fanning their body
“The heat in Texas is a serious threat and it’s something that it shouldn't be taken lightly,” Dr. Eastman added.
For additional information, visit
www.parklandhospital.com.