Hot summer ahead: Heatwave hospitalises two workers in NT

The following is an abridgement of an article originally published on the WorkSafe NT website.

Two workers in the Northern Territory’s Top End have suffered heat related illnesses and been hospitalised during the first heatwave of the 2023 build-up.

Workers hospitalised for heat-related illnesses

There were two incidents. The first incident involved a 17-year-old apprentice who worked on a roof for a full day in the Darwin rural area. The following day at work the apprentice was described as erratic in behaviour and making mistakes. After feeling unwell, the apprentice saw a doctor was immediately sent to the hospital where they were diagnosed with heat stroke.

The second incident involved a 45-year-old seasonal worker from the Pacific Islands who collapsed while picking mangoes. The worker was hospitalised and treated for dehydration.

Both workers were exposed to extreme heatwave conditions that had been forecasted by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). A heatwave warning was issued on Tuesday 10th October 2023 (Figure 1).

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NT WorkSafe conducts ongoing enquiries

NT WorkSafe is conducting ongoing enquiries to determine the cause of the incidents and the appropriate regulatory response. The preliminary findings indicate that the workplaces failed to ensure the workers were working in safe conditions and had adequate measures to prevent and manage heat related illnesses. [An integrated safety management system helps formalise job hazard analysis to tighten the workplace safety net and reduce oversights]

Staying safe in the heat

The human body needs to maintain a body temperature of approximately 37 degrees (celsius). Working in heat can be hazardous and can cause harm to workers if the workers’ body temperature rises above 37 degrees for too long a period and is unable to cool.

Heat related illnesses range in seriousness from dehydration, to heat exhaustion, to heatstroke. Heatstroke is the most serious heat related illness that can lead to permanent disability or death without emergency treatment.

NT WorkSafe urges all workplaces with outdoor workers to follow the Work Health and Safety Regulations and the Safe Work Australia’s Guide for managing the risks of working in heat. This includes:

• Undertake Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Control (HIRAC) using Safe Work Australia’s Guide for managing the risks of working in heat. Take into consideration heatwave warnings issued by BOM, if the environment is reflective (e.g. a roof), how physically exerting the work is and the level of acclimatisation of the worker.
• Providing information and training on working in the heat and heat-related illnesses.
• Having a heat stress management plan. The Australian and New Zealand Committee on Resuscitation (ANZCOR) guidelines (9.3.4) for heat induced illness can assist.
• Implementing control measures such as scheduling work to avoid the hottest part of the day, providing shaded areas, wearing reflective and light-coloured clothing, scheduling rest breaks, providing an esky and drinking crushed ice.
• Follow the Northern Territory’s Work health and safety consultation, cooperation and coordination Code of Practice, and consult workers and their representatives.

Further reading

For more information on working in heat, please refer to the following sources:

• Guideline 9.3.4 – Heat Induced Illness (Hyperthermia) - Australian and New Zealand Committee on Resuscitation (ANZCOR)
• Heatwave Service for Australia (The Bureau of Meteorology)
• Extreme heat health alerts (NT Health Facebook)
• Guide for managing the risks of working in heat (Safe Work Australia)
• Heat stress management presentation from Dr Matt Brearley
• Working in heat – Information Bulletin

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Sources

Two workers hospitalised during season’s first heatwave by NT WorkSafe, 3rd November, 2023.