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Sandy • When she visited the Gulf Coast to observe the cleanup of last year's BP oil spill, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis became concerned about the impact of oppressively hot, humid weather on cleanup workers.
She got a chance Thursday in Utah to meet some of her own agency employees who helped develop programs to alleviate those concerns.
Near the end of a 90-minute tour of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's sophisticated Technical Center, Solis was introduced to Todd Jordan, director of OSHA's Sandy-based Health Response Team. He showed her a trailer the Labor Department agency has decked out for trips to disaster sites and equipment used to combat heat-related illnesses, which in 2010 claimed the lives of 30 workers in the United States.
Jordan pointed out an environmental monitor that tracks temperature, humidity and their combined feel, noting that information it generated was used to develop a work cycle for outdoor laborers in the Gulf — say, 45 minutes on the job, then 15 minutes away in a shady spot with plenty of fluids to drink.
Knowing that heat affects individuals differently but that "everybody is susceptible to heat at some level," Jordan also showed Solis some "sensor" pills that workers could swallow, allowing a separate monitor to check internal temperatures and heart rates. His team also displayed a neoprene cooling vest that can be fitted with frozen gel packs to cool down overheated workers.
The vests, developed by NASA, have been tested on professional football players during summer training, noted Jordan's associate Glenn Lamson. "Occupational workers should have the same benefits as the NFL," he added.
Although these technologically advanced products are not available to most of the workers susceptible to heat-related ailments — such as landscapers, farmworkers, construction workers and electricians — some simple practices can go a long way toward preventing health problems, Solis said.
"And all of these are preventable," she added in a speech to roughly 85 Technical Center employees, who also received a "Be Cool at Work" T-shirt.
How? Drink water, even if you don't feel thirsty. Take breaks in the shade. Wear hats and cool-colored clothing. Older workers should keep an eye out on younger workers who might not know what to expect. Know how to respond if someone you're working with appears to be getting stressed out.
To help workers and employers remember these points, the Labor Department has released a free application for mobile devices that monitors the heat index at work sites. Available soon in English and Spanish, the app includes information about the signs and symptoms of heat stress, and tips for supervisors about gradually building workloads for new employees.
"The public needs to know how important the jobs you do here are to keeping people safe," Solis said to the Technical Center chemists, microbiologists, metallurgists and other scientists whose laboratory work helps identify the causes of accidents and is used to protect workers from exposure to dangerous materials such as asbestos, fine particulates, cyanide and lead.
Solis later took part in a panel discussion at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Joseph F. Smith Building.
She said her agency is creating training programs to help unemployed construction workers start "new careers, mainly in the renewable-energy industry. These jobs have good wages and are very valuable."
In response to a question about Utah's guest-worker bill, Solis said immigration issues should be addressed at the federal level, adding that she is leery of states seeking their own solutions.
mikeg@sltrib.comTwitter: @sltribmikeg Ahora Utah reporter Normand Garcia contributed to this story. —
Heat index app
O A U.S. Labor Department app that monitors the heat index at outdoor work sites may be downloaded for free at go.usa.gov/KFE.