HUMBOLDT — With summer just around the corner and temperatures beginning to climb, Monarch Cement Company hosted a comprehensive seminar on heat workforce safety on April 30. Sponsored by the Kansas Athletic Trainers Society and Kansas State University College of Health and Human Science, the event aimed to educate employees on the dangers of working in high-temperature environments and how to mitigate those risks.
“Cement production is a highly complex process involving extremely high temperatures, especially with the use of kilns,” said Judy Works, Licensed Practical Nurse at Monarch Cement, who opened the seminar. “Throughout the work day, many of our production employees are regularly exposed to heat at varying degrees. This makes the risk of heat-related illnesses a very real concern for the company.”
Works introduced keynote speaker Dr. Phil Vardiman, PhD, LAT, ATC — an associate professor at Kansas State University and past president of the Kansas Athletic Trainers Society. With nearly three decades of experience as a certified athletic trainer, Vardiman brought extensive knowledge to the session, including his contributions to state-level heat illness policies. He served on the Kansas State High Schools Activities Association (KSHSAA) Sports Medicine Advisory Council when the state’s Heat Illness Policy was formed.
VARDIMAN provided an in-depth look at Exertional Heat Illness (EHI), which includes heat cramps, heat syncope, heat exhaustion, and the most severe — Exertional Heat Stroke (EHS). “EHS is a life-threatening condition and is the leading cause of death among weather-related phenomena in the United States,” he said. “Excessive heat also exacerbates existing health conditions, such as asthma, kidney failure, and heart disease.”
Warning signs of EHS include a core body temperature over 104 degrees, irrational behavior, confusion, vomiting, rapid heartbeat, and collapse. “It’s important to understand and know your employee,” Vardiman said. “Do they look out of it or are they behaving abnormally?”
He backed up these warnings with some statistics. From 2011 to 2020, there were 33,890 work-related heat injuries or illnesses. From 1992 to 2021, 999 workers died from heat illness. In 2020 alone, the economic cost of heat exposure was estimated at $100 billion. “Heat exposure for inside and outside workers is a growing hazard,” Vardiman noted.
Vardiman frequently referred to the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), a tool that measures heat stress more accurately than the traditional Heat Index. “It is the most reliable indicator in determining the overall risk of heat illness during athletic participation in periods of elevated heat and humidity,” he explained.
Using a combination of temperature readings — including a dry bulb, a wet bulb, and a black globe thermometer — the WBGT accounts for environmental variables such as humidity, wind, and sun exposure. Risk factors for heat illness increase dramatically when the WBGT exceeds 82 degrees and can be worsened by poor hydration, low fitness, high body mass index, or a history of previous heat illness.
ACCLIMATIZATION is one of the most effective strategies for prevention. “You want to gradually increase heat exposure to workers over seven to 14 days,” Vardiman said, citing CDC recommendations of 20% exposure on day one and increasing 20% daily. “You will need to provide more time for new employees to acclimate.”
The benefits of proper acclimatization include better sweating efficiency, improved circulation, and the ability to maintain a lower core temperature and heart rate during work.
Dr. Mark Haub, Food, Nutrition, Dietetics and Health Professor at Kansas State University, joined the seminar to discuss the nutritional component of heat illness prevention. “If you’re hot and eating a lot of protein, your body has a decision to make,” Haub explained. “It will take blood away from circulating through your body to cool you off to help digest the food.” He warned against consuming hot food while working in high heat: “It’s like putting hot coal in a hot oven.”
He suggested eating foods with high water content when you know you’re going to be working in extreme heat. He added that fruit, watermelon in particular, is a great option.
Haub also recommended adhering to a hydration schedule. “Drink 16 ounces of fluid two hours before activity, another 8 to 16 ounces 10 to 15 minutes before, and 4 to 8 ounces every 15–20 minutes during the activity,” he noted. Watching your salt intake, he said, isn’t typically a concern unless an individual has a medical condition like hypertension.
When it comes to hot-weather workwear, Vardiman says fabric choice is key. Look for clothing made from lightweight, moisture-wicking materials that allow sweat to evaporate quickly. Vardiman stressed the importance of employers’ choice in work gear, noting that some jobs require heavy equipment to be worn. “Employers need to take special consideration when it comes to clothing,” he said. “If the company is able to, they should try to adjust the clothing that they are requiring their employees to wear.”
TO RESPOND to a worker suffering from EHS, Vardiman said it is important to get them into some sort of rapid cooling equipment. This kind of equipment is usually something similar to a trough or tank, filled with 50% ice and 50% water. Once the person is submerged they must remain there until their core temperature reaches 102 degrees. This is referred to as the “dunking method.”
Alternatives include what is called the “taco technique” where the person is placed on a tarp and ice water is placed on them while they are moved back and forth by lifting the sides of the tarp. Inflatable pools can also be used. Vardiman said the military uses body bags packed with ice water. “You can also just pack them down with ice if it’s the only thing you have, but dunking is the best method,” he said.
