OSHA Updates Heat Monitoring App

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) wants workers to stay cool this summer by using its recently updated heat monitoring app.

Heat-related illness is a serious issue, especially as we approach the scorching-hot summer months. According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Week Report, 7,233 heat-related deaths occurred during 1999 to 20009 in the U.S. What's even more alarming, however, is that a 2012 analysis indicated that such fatalities are on the rise. When workers are exposed to extreme hot over a prolonged length of time, they run the risk of succumbing to heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

OSHA hopes to reduce the risk of work-related heat illness by encouraging employers and employees alike to use its recently updated heat monitoring app. You might be surprised to learn that this isn't a new app. On the contrary, OSHA first released in back in 2011 for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. However, the Administration recently made some major changes to its heat monitoring app, improving its functionality and stability.

The primary purpose of the app is to calculate the heat index for a worksite, and using a formula to determine the heat index, display a risk level to the user. It can also be programmed to display reminders about safety measures workers can take to reduce their risk of heat-related illness. It's a somewhat simple app that's proven highly useful in protecting workers from the dangers of heat.

Here's the official description for OSHA's heat monitoring app:

"The App allows workers and supervisors to calculate the heat index for their worksite, and, based on the heat index, displays a risk level to outdoor workers. Then, with a simple tap, you can get reminders about the protective measures that should be taken at that risk level to protect workers from heat-related illness—reminders about drinking enough fluids, scheduling rest breaks, planning for and knowing what to do in an emergency, adjusting work operations, gradually building up the workload for new workers, training on heat illness signs and symptoms, and monitoring each other for signs and symptoms of heat-related illness."

You can download OSHA's heat monitoring app by visiting https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.erg.heatindex&hl=en (Android) or https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/osha-heat-safety-tool/id469229784?mt=8 (Apple).