There is a heart alert in effect across America and officials are encouraging employers and employees to educate themselves about preventing heat stress, which can be quite harmful.

Heat stress is hazardous to people of all ages, and whether or not you are physically fit, it can still affect you. furthermore, it is a major concern in workplaces. Hard physical work, fluid loss, fatigue, and some medical conditions can each lead to illness, disability, or even death.

Heat stress symptoms include:

• excessive sweating headache
• rashes
• cramping, dizziness
• fainting

Here are some tips to protect you from heat stress:

• Drink lots of fluids to replace perspiration.  Drink a cup of water approximately every 20 minutes.
• Avoid working in direct sunlight (to reduce heat gain and risk of sunburn)
• Reduce the pace of work
• Increase the number of breaks. Take breaks in cool or shaded areas
• Schedule heavy work during cooler periods of the day
• Wear light-colored and/or light-weight clothing
• Reduce the physical demands of work by using aides, i.e. hoists.