To prevent serious injury and even death due to thermal stresses both cold and heat related. Knowing how to recognize such stress and how to prevent it will greatly enhance the employee's ability to function under these conditions. The human body is designed to function at a certain internal temperature. The major disorders due to heat stress are heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. Heat cramps are painful spasms which occur in the skeletal muscles of workers who sweat profusely in the heat and drink large quantities of water, but fail to replace the body's lost salts or electrolytes.
Heat exhaustion is characterized by extreme weakness or fatigue, dizziness, nausea, and headache.
In serious cases, a person may vomit or lose consciousness. The skin is clammy and moist, complexion pale or flushed, and body temperature normal or slightly higher than normal. Heat stroke is a very serious condition caused by the breakdown of the body's heat regulating mechanism. The skin is very dry and hot with a red, mottled or bluish appearance. Unconsciousness, mental confusion, or convulsions may occur.