Summary: Forestry workers may be subject to extreme heat and cold. Working outdoors makes people more likely to become dehydrated and experience heat-related illness or heat stress. High temperatures reduce work capacity and may lead to heat stress and dehydration. Although exposure to heat stress is preventable, thousands become sick from occupational heat exposure every year, and some cases are fatal.  Similarly, cold weather can reduce dexterity, blood flow, muscle strength, and balance. Hypothermia, frostbite, trench foot, and chilblains are all illnesses and injuries caused by cold stress. However, forestry workers can avoid heat-related illness and cold stress with proper information and preventative action. This presentation will explore both weather-related conditions and their impact on outdoor workers.

Intended Audience: This course is intended for workers in forestry and logging, including fallers, first-line supervisors/managers of forestry workers, logging equipment operators, sawing machine setters, operators and tenders, and truck drivers.

Objectives: After the training, participants will be able to…

1. Define Heat Stress, Cold Stress, and their related conditions.
2. Identify vulnerable populations and critical warning signs for interventions.
3. Share essential resources for Workplace Safety Practices.

This material was produced under grant #SH-000099-SH3 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.