Sometimes it's just as hot inside as out....

A Service Center Metals assistant press operator works with aluminum that is 988 degrees — about 10 times the temperature outside Tuesday (Times Dispatch).

The weather outside our plants may change with the seasons, but the temperatures in our plants remains constant, hot. In some cases very hot. Our industry has been proactive in preventing and identifying heat related stresses among our workers. The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog found the following article on how one aluminium extruder deals with preventing heat stress among their workers. Here's the story:

Jon Hackley is surrounded by heat in an aluminum extrusion plant in Prince George County. He is stationed in front of a furnace that heats aluminum logs up to 1,000 degrees, which then go through a die press located to his right. To his left, the ovens “bake” the dies to more than 750 degrees. Like Hackley, some workers in such places as production plants, kitchens, bakeries and dry cleaners suffer from the heat just like outdoor workers when the temperature reaches 100 degrees — as it did on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. While it was hot inside the extrusion plant, workers feel even hotter, plant manager Howard Somer said.

Service Center Metals “They are doing a lot of hard physical work, on top of it being 100 to 125 degrees (in the plant),” Somer said of the hottest days. The temperature approached 100 degrees in the plant Tuesday. But Hackley said it was worse a few years ago when some of the window fans weren’t working. “It was almost unbearable in here,” Hackley said. “I went through two to three shirts a day because they were so soaked and wet.”

Hackley survives summers by being surrounded by three fans for part of his shift. His 10-square-foot “cool” zone is where he monitors the surrounding equipment on computer screens and has lunch.

He said he drinks more than eight bottles of water a day to stay hydrated. Hundreds of bottles of water and Gatorade are piled up on the floor of the 156,000-square-foot plant

for employees.

Chip Dollins, the company’s vice president of operations, said drinks and popsicles are offered free from June to Labor Day. Besides providing drinks and having fans throughout the plant, Service Center Metals trains workers in

April about symptoms of heat exhaustion, preparing them for the summer. About 35 workers stay in the plant per 12-hour shift, and their average age is below 30, Dollins said. “With a young workforce who thinks they are invincible, you have to convince them that ‘you are human, so hot weather can affect you,’ ” Dollins said.

Emergency Dr. Veronica Sikka said when a person starts to behave confused, feel dizzy or have headaches, muscle cramps or fast heart rate, he or she might have heat exhaustion, which could lead to death. Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center

To prevent heat exhaustion, Sikka recommends people drink water, wear light-colored clothing and be mindful of the heat index, which shows how hot people feel, in addition to the absolute temperature.

Service Center Metals also has a safety observation system that allows every worker to broadcast via emails about what their colleagues are doing. This could include a warning about a bad habit or a shout-out to someone working to prevent heat exhaustion.

Somers said workers post about 10 times a day. “The observation system — it’s about an ‘I’ve got your back’ kind of attitude so people watch out for each other really closely,” Somers said.

To avoid the hottest hours of a day, some businesses try to get the “hot” work done early. For example, Sally Bell’s Kitchen on West Grace Street starts baking at 2 a.m. But sometimes, there is no easy way around it. Grant Kim, owner of on Jefferson Davis Highway in Chesterfield County, said his shop begins to press clothes with steam up to 180 degrees at 7:30 a.m. and usually finishes at 2 p.m.

Johnson Cleaners Some people say they get used to the heat after years of working in a similar environment — no matter if it’s a cleaner or an aluminum extrusion plant.

“You know how it feels like, so it’s not a slap on the face,” Hackley said about getting used to the heat. “You get adjusted to it.”

The Alumimium Plant Safety Blog commends Service Center Metals for being proactive in addressing heat related stress among its employees. 

The APSB feels that the news media coverage of the aluminium industry falls into two categories; financial, and safety related incidents. The APSB firmly believes that has to be changed because the positive stories are not being told. There are other stories out in our industry which need to be retold. If you know of any positive stories pertaining toward safety in the aluminium industry, please alert the APSB.

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has some useful information regarding heated related stress which can be found here.

EHS Today magazine is a great resource for all safety related topics. Which has an article titled “Resources for Heat Stress Solutions”. Which can be viewed here.

How does your plant deal with preventing heat related stress among its workers?

Please comment.

P.S. Here is the link to the orignal news article.