Safety Culture
Safety Culture
Preparing for Extreme Heat
- Pay attention every day to the weather conditions by tuning in to the radio or TV.
- Always keep necessities like a flashlight, emergency food and beverages, a fan for fanning yourself, portable radio, etc. in case of a power outage.
- Have contact information at hand for the nearest hospital, and monitor yourself and your family members for symptoms of problems like heatstroke.
- Prepare for possible interruption of water supply by stocking up on bottled water and filling up the bathtub with water for household use.
- If using a cooling device, maintain an indoor/outdoor temperature difference of about 5℃ to prevent illness from overexposure to air conditioning. (The advisable range of healthful indoor cooling temperatures is 26℃-28℃.)
- Inspect the transformer to prepare against overloading. (Pay special attention in older apartment buildings!)
- Use curtains or shades to prevent direct sunlight from entering the house as much as possible.
- If you are planning on a long driving trip, think twice and be extra cautious of traffic accidents, since the heat may cause deformations in the road surface.
How to Overcome Tropical Nights
- Abstain from ingesting caffeine (e.g., coffee, tea, cola, chocolate) or alcohol, and avoid smoking.
- Create a comfortable environment through proper cooling.
- If the cooling system causes an excessive decrease in humidity, the possibility of developing respiratory diseases increases, so it is important to maintain humidity.
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- Criteria for Issuance of Extreme Heat Advisories & Warnings
- Extreme Heat Advisory: When it is expected that the daily high temperature will be at least 33℃, with a daily high heat index measuring at least 32℃ for at least two days in the months of June through September.
- Extreme Heat Warning: When it is expected that the daily high temperature will be at least 35℃, with a daily high heat index measuring at least 41℃ for at least two days in the months of June through September.
- Light exercise in the early evening is helpful for a sound sleep.
- It is advisable to take a warm shower before going to bed.
- Drinking a cup of milk before bed keeps you from feeling hungry and induces sleep.
- It is important to maintain a regular sleep schedule.
During an extreme heat advisory
- At home
- Abstain from outdoor activities. (If you absolutely must go out, wear a wide-brimmed hat and light clothing. Carry a water bottle.)
- Drink plenty of water, and avoid sweetened or caffeinated beverages and alcohol.
- Inside buildings without air conditioning, block sunlight from coming in, ventilate to let out stale air, and turn on an electric fan.
- Do not leave an elderly person or child alone in a car with all the windows rolled up.
- Elderly persons with limited mobility, seniors who live alone, invalids, and the infirm should refrain from going outside. Relatives and neighbors should be asked to keep an eye on them.
- If you are taking salts for conditions like dehydration, check with your physician.
- When initial symptoms of heatstroke appear, e.g., dizziness, nausea, headache, and muscle spasms, move to a cool place, rest for several minutes, and drink a cold beverage slowly.
- When the temperature reaches its highest level, from 12 to 4 p.m., stay in an air-conditioned building for at least 2 hours.
- At the workplace
- Refrain from holding external events, for example, outdoor team-building activities and sports matches.
- Take a nap for 10~15 minutes at lunchtime to maintain personal health.
- Improve the working environment for the staff and allow casual dressing.
- At school
- Allow for shortened school hours in elementary, middle, and high schools.
- Abstain from outdoor activities, such as excursions and sports events.
- Be careful of food poisoning when providing school lunch.
- At industrial and construction sites
- Take frequent short breaks rather than one long break.
- When working outside for a long time, wear a vest with an ice pack.
- Open all windows and doors for natural ventilation.
- Check the cooling systems of construction machinery regularly to prevent overheating.
- Maintain sanitation and perform disinfection in the construction office, living quarters, cafeteria, etc., to prevent health problems like food poisoning, typhoid fever, encephalitis, etc.
- Drink a cup of cold water (with salt) at 15-20-minute intervals at work. Avoid alcohol and caffeinated beverages.
- Avoid any heat sources, for example, hot liquid, hot machine, flame, etc., and install a heatproof booth.
- Avoid wearing tight clothes that inhibit perspiration.
- At fish farms
- Install shades in aboveground cultivation facilities and mix bottom water and surface water.
- Open the windows of cultivation facilities for good ventilation.
- Inject low-temperature underground seawater.
- Inject liquid oxygen to prevent oxygen deficit that accompanies increased water temperature.
- Prevent fish diseases from spreading due to the physiological weakening among the fish.
- Check power generators in advance to guard against electricity failure.
- In farmhouses and barns
- Tighten control over the increased occurrence of insect pests.
- Open windows, provide continuous ventilation with fans, etc., and maintain proper stocking density.
- Install a water sprayer on the ceiling of a pigsty or a henhouse to prevent radiant heat.
- Attach an insulating material such as Styrofoam to the ceiling of the barn or stable.
- Install a mosquito control system and disinfect the stall.
- Install lightproof facilities, drip irrigation, and water film facilities to prevent damage to a house.
- Perform irrigation with a sprinkler for vegetables grown outdoors.
- On roads and railways
- When temperatures of 35℃ or higher are forecast, spray the roads with water to prevent the road surface from deforming.
- Reinforce traveling railroad inspections and spray water on the rails.
During an extreme heat warning
- At home
- Do not engage in any outdoor activities from 12-4 p.m.
- Do not get in the water without preparation or take a sudden cold shower (due to risk of heart attack).
- Turn the fan toward a window to induce ventilation. (Refrain from using the fan for prolonged periods.)
- Strenuous exercise or movement at a late hour interferes with sound sleep; abstain from watching dramas, playing computer games, etc. which may cause mental tension.
- Wear loose and light clothing to block UV rays and apply a UV blocker such as sun screen to exposed skin.
- When going out with a child, do not wrap him/her with a thick blanket or clothes.
- Elderly persons with limited mobility, seniors who live alone, invalids, and the infirm should be prevented from going outside. Relatives and neighbors should check on them regularly.
- At the workplace
- Cancel all outdoor activities.
- Allow for nap time for employees.
- Allow for a flexible work schedule system, avoiding the highest-temperature time period.
- Impose compulsory leave on any employee whose physical condition is abnormal.
- At school
- Consider closing elementary and middle schools temporarily.
- Prohibit outdoor activities such as playing in the playground, excursions, etc
- Again, be careful of food poisoning in providing school lunch.
- At industrial and construction sites
- Seriously consider work stoppage, at the field supervisor’s discretion.
- Avoid prolonged work operations, reduce working hours, and consider implementing night shifts.
- When the temperature reaches its highest level, from 12 to 4 p.m., stop all indoor and outdoor work if possible and take a rest.
- Since sleep deprivation and accumulated fatigue present a risk of electric shock, avoid handling electricity.
- Abstain from unnecessarily rapid movements especially when working outdoors.
- Always wear a safety helmet and a safety belt at work.
- At fish farms
- Observe the feeding and other behavior of fish, and immediately remove fish that exhibit any abnormality (to prevent disease from spreading).
- Put ice in the water tank to inhibit water temperature from increasing.
- Reduce stocking density as much as possible, as well as rapid transfer.
- Since raw feed oxidizes rapidly, check feed for rotting due to humidity or exposure to direct sunlight.
- In farmhouses and barns
- Provide clean water and give vitamins and mineral-mixed feed.
- Do not supply moldy or old feed.
- Upon livestock’s death, rapidly bury and disinfect them to prevent infectious disease from spreading.
- Remove manure from barns and stables and keep them dry.
- Due to risk of fires from short circuits and overheating, check the amount of electrical consumption from cooling and ventilation.
- On roads and railways
- To keep the road surface from deforming and to prevent traffic accidents, control transport of heavy vehicles and spray water on the road. When temperatures of 35℃ or higher are forecast, spray the roads with water to prevent the road surface from deforming.
- Go slowly, stop the train, or spray water as the rail temperature increases.