Injury Caused By Heat
Davinder S. Bal
Davinder S. Bal is Non-Director of Claim Today Limited
Key attributes include dedication, leadership, community, equality in life, optimism, respect, resilience, humility, mentor
15th August 2022
Britain sweltered with tarmac melting weather in the country’s hottest day on record last month, July east the hottest since records began.
Delivery drivers with chilled food vans and food delivery drivers drove around the streets as usual delivering shopping and food to people’s homes. Paradoxically the vans have chilling technology and refrigerators to keep the food cold chilled in the back, but many don’t provide the same cooling service to the Drivers in the front.
Food Delivery drivers have to brave busy streets and cope with the burning heat many cycling or peddling in the extreme temperatures wearing bulky protective gear.
Air conditioning is not normally fitted as standard and costs about an extra £1,000 per delivery van, this means that delivery drivers have to suffer in silence where costs and profits for large corporations take priority.
High temperatures have always been a hazard for outdoor workers such as builders in hot countries ike the Middle East where migrant workers are exploited and every year many suffer serious injury or death.
We can see the weather is rapidly changing and the planet is getting warmer and hotter with heatwaves become more common in Europe. Extreme heat for workers is now longer a problem just for “hot” counties but will increasingly affect a large range of countries.
The demands and work culture and hours of work in Western Europe make it a particular problem where in traditionally hot countries societies have adapted to cope with the extremes whereas here in Europe workers and employers are largely unprepared.
The chance of the maximum daily temperature exceeding 35C somewhere in the UK has already increased from once every 15 years in the mid-20th century to once every five years today, according to one Met Office study. Longer hotter summers mean increasing health risks for delivery drivers.
The most obvious work danger for drivers is overheating and heat exhaustion. Heat stress can cause muscle cramps, collapse from fainting and sheer exhaustion. Heat stroke can also exceptionally kill where some drivers are have health vulnerability. Older Drivers are less able to cope with high temperatures — a particular concern where the working population is ageing and for motor vehicle drivers without air conditioning. A sad reminder of the dangers, a 60-year-old street cleaner in Spain died of heat stroke after collapsing at work.
Workplace accidents with manual handling happen more often in hot weather, because hands get sweaty or concentration levels drop under heat exhaustion.
In America UCLA compared records from more than 11mn California workers’ compensation claims and found On days with temperatures above 90F (about 32C), workers had a 6 to 9 per cent higher risk of injury. When the temperature topped 100F, the risk was 10 to 15 per cent higher. A direct link between increasing heat and workplace accidents.
Extreme heat can affect young workers as well, in hot countries such as on sugar cane plantations Young men have been dying of chronic kidney disease in recent years . Researchers believe heat exposure and dehydration are important factors, combined with fertilizers positioning.
The dangers of accident or injury in hot conditions are clear. Claim Today says the claim time is now if you have had any injury caused directly or indirectly by the extreme heat.
In the UK we are most exposed to rising temperatures, where we have been for many decades working in cooler temperatures with growing informal employment in the Gig economy for delivery drivers with weak health and safety cover.
The warming planet is likely to see more injuries and accidents due to heat causing directly or indirectly more accidents or injury.
If you have suffered Injury or Accident Call Claim Today the claim time is now
Please call 0800 29 800 29 or email info@claimtoday.com
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HOTTEST DAY IN HISTORY
Britain sweltered with tarmac melting weather in the country’s hottest day on record last month, July east the hottest since records began.
Food Delivery drivers have to brave busy streets and cope with the burning heat many cycling or peddling in the extreme temperatures wearing bulky protective gear
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The chance of the maximum daily temperature exceeding 35C somewhere in the UK has,
already increased from once every 15 years in the mid-20th century to once every five years.
today, according to one Met Office study. Longer hotter summers mean increasing health risks
for delivery drivers.
