When you think about the dangers of working on air conditioning equipment, you probably think about working with electricity, refrigerant, and torches. We often overlook a more obvious danger: the weather. The reason we have a job is because it is either hot or cold. It seems like every year there is tragic news involving the death of an HVAC worker found unconscious or dead in an attic due to heat stroke. These tragic deaths are totally preventable and unnecessary.
To avoid becoming a victim of heat stroke you must monitor your body’s reaction to the heat. When you are hot, sweating is good. The evaporation of sweat is your last line of defense against overheating. Sometimes sweating just isn’t enough to counteract the effects of work and hot, humid conditions. If you are sweating profusely and experiencing a rapid pulse, muscle cramps, and dizziness, you are experiencing heat exhaustion. To avoid becoming a victim of heat stroke you need to get out of the heat, hydrate, and cool off. If it is hot and you are NOT sweating, you are past heat exhaustion and entering into heat stroke. This is very dangerous, you can pass out from heat stroke. Symptoms include dry, hot skin (90+); rapid pulse (130+), headache, dizziness, and confusion. If you have these symptoms, you may be the victim of heat stroke – which is life threatening. You should get out of the heat, hydrate, and call 911. Don’t ignore what your body is telling you. If you start feeling bad while working in the heat – get to a cool place and hydrate.
The locations where HVAC techs are exposed to the most extreme heat are attics and commercial rooftops. Jobs in these locations should be scheduled for early morning to avoid the worst heat. Air movement can help in attics. On rooftops you can shield yourself from the sun using canopies or umbrellas. Keeping hydrated is critical. You should have plenty of water and sports drinks available all the time. You should avoid alcohol or caffeinated sodas because they are diuretics and can actually dehydrate you. Sorry, but you cannot keep hydrated by drinking beer.
Tools that can help you stay safe include heat stress meters and wearable health monitoring devices. Heat stress meters can help determine the effective heat index of the work area. They measure the combined effect of temperature, humidity, and mean radiant temperature to determine the effective temperature in an area where you are working. They can include an alarm that warns you if the heat index will exceed a safe level. Wearable devices can measure your body’s reaction to the work environment. While a heat stress meter measures the area, the wearable monitor measures you. One, the CORE, measures your body temperature and heart rate. Using this device you can determine how your body is handling the heat and take action when signs of heat exhaustion are indicated. Here are links for these two devices.
Heat Stress WBGT Meter-HT30 (trutechtools.com)
I highly recommend that you do some research to better understand how to stay safe. To that end I am including several links
Heat exhaustion – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic
Heatstroke – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic
Heat Stress Related Illness | NIOSH | CDC
OSHA Guidelines to Prevent Heat Illness | TFT Pneumatic (tft-pneumatic.com)
Beat the Heat: Identifying and Preventing Heat Stress | (3m.com)