July 29, 2024

Heat-related illnesses and burns from hot fluids

As a service to our policyholders, Texas Mutual shares serious workplace injury trends based on catastrophic injuries and fatalities reported to our claims department. Not all of these reported injuries are covered by workers’ compensation insurance, but our goal is to help you ensure these types of incidents do not happen in your workplace. Find safety tips below to help keep your employees safe on the job.

If you have questions, we encourage you to contact our safety services support center at 844-WORKSAFE (967-5723) or safety@texasmutual.com.

In this alert:

• Heat-related illnesses
• Burns from hot fluids

Heat-related illnesses

While driving a company vehicle, an employee began suffering the effects of a heat-related illness. This caused the employee to veer off the road and crash the vehicle. Ultimately, the employee was treated for injuries sustained during the wreck and symptoms of heat stress.

Heat illnesses can be dangerous and rapidly worsen if left untreated. Take all symptoms seriously, both in yourself and those around you.

• Acclimatize yourself when working in the heat by starting at 20% of your workload and increasing another 20% each day.
• Take breaks in shaded or air-conditioned areas.
• Drink at least one cup of water every 20 minutes rather than waiting until you feel thirsty.
• If you notice any signs of heat stress, take a break in a cool place.
• If anyone experiences severe signs of heat stress such as slurred speech, seizures or loss of consciousness, call 911 right away.

Burns from hot fluids

While cooking in a kitchen, an employee dropped food into a fryer, which caused hot oil to splash back onto them. In a separate incident, an employee was working with hot asphalt that splashed onto their bare skin. In both cases, the employees’ serious burns were a result of the hot fluid contacting their skin directly.

Burns from hot fluids, such as water, oil and other heated materials can cause excruciating pain and long-term scarring. To minimize the risk of serious injury, take precautions while working with and near hot fluids.

• Report any leaks or spills immediately, only cleaning them yourself if you’ve been trained and are wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
• When moving or transferring hot fluids, use the proper containers, tools and procedures, such as the use of carts to assist with heavy loads.
• Wear appropriate PPE on your arms, torso, legs and feet to protect yourself from splashes and spills.
• Maintain a safe distance and do not reach across or lean over containers of hot fluids.

Get free safety resources

Texas Mutual policyholders have access to thousands of free training materials in our multimedia safety resource center, including our safety catalog with up-to-date resources.

To access the free materials, log in to your texasmutual.com account and select Safety. If you need help accessing safety resources or you have a safety question, call us toll-free at 844-WORKSAFE (967-5723).

Download a PDF (201KB) version of the July Safety Alert.