New Safety Initiatives campaign looks at Heat Stress

Our new Safety Initiatives campaign delivers timely safety advice about topics personnel are likely to be exposed to in their work. Each initiative provides information in a concise and practical format, easily accessed via the Portal.

To develop these initiatives, representatives of the Safety, Health and Wellbeing team work closely with subject matter experts and researchers to ensure each initiative contains accurate, up-to-date information.

“Heat Stress is the first Safety Initiative that we’ve developed through this process,” says Katie Shaw, Principal Advisor, Safety, Health & Wellbeing.  

“We know that experiencing heat is a given for firefighters but when the body’s core temperature is too high it can cause excessive dehydration and heat stress, bringing a variety of heat-related illnesses and considerable health risks.

“We’ve identified three main factors that contribute to firefighter heat stress – Ambient temperature, Heavy workload, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

“We’ve also provided advice on how to look out for signs of Heat Stress and how firefighters can minimise and manage it during their work,” says Katie.

Read more about the Safety Initiative for Heat Stress here

Over the next few months you’ll see more initiatives being developed using the same process. If you have any questions or ideas, get in touch with your regional Safety, Health & Wellbeing representatives here