From the course: Occupational Safety and Health: Working in the Heat

Minor conditions

From the course: Occupational Safety and Health: Working in the Heat

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Minor conditions

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- We've talked about the mechanisms the body uses to maintain its temperature in the heat and discussed some of the physical factors that can affect the body's susceptibility to heat-related illnesses. Now let's take a look at some of the most common types of heat-related illnesses in order of severity, and then we'll review the first aid steps that should be taken to address each type. The least severe types of heat-related illnesses includes conditions like heat rash and heat cramps. Heat rash is just a skin irritation caused by excessive sweating during hot humid weather. Symptoms can include red clusters of small blisters or pimples that typically occur on the neck or the upper chest or any folds in the skin where you might have excess sweating. Now, this is an uncomfortable condition that's really best treated by keeping the area dry, which probably also means moving to a cooler, less humid work environment. There are some powders that can be applied to increase comfort but don't use ointments or creams. Next in line is heat cramps. Heat cramps usually affect people who sweat a lot during strenuous activity. This sweating depletes the body's salt and moisture levels. Low salt levels in muscles causes painful cramps. People might also experience pain or spasms in the abdomen, arms, or legs. Now, people with heat cramps should drink water and have a snack or a carbohydrate electrolyte replacement liquid, like a sports drink, every 15 to 20 minutes. It's generally recommended to avoid salt tablets. And you need to get medical help if the person has heart problems, if they're on a low-sodium diet, or if the cramps don't subside within an hour. It's important to remember that the body can progress from one condition and on to a more severe condition very rapidly when a person's working or exercising out in the heat and humidity, and heat cramps are a good example of this. A person with heat cramps should be watched closely because heat cramps can also be a symptom of heat exhaustion, which we'll talk about next.

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