Workers warned as BoM forecasts spring heatwave
A warning has been issued to Queensland workers as soaring temperatures continue across the state.
Workers in Queensland’s resource sector have been given a warning, as a heatwave rolls across the state.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, an unseasonably warm spring has meant temperatures in most of the state have been 2 – 5C hotter than usual – with some areas reaching almost 10C above average.
The BOM has declared temperatures are also likely to be above average in Queensland from December to February.
Senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury told InDaily weather systems over both land and sea would produce “really warm daytime temperatures, but really warm overnight temperatures as well”.
“Once we hit December and January, that’s when we start to see the more monsoon weather developing, which means more cloud,” she said.
“Which means the temperatures are generally a touch lower. So it’s through that spring period that we do tend to see the warmest weather, through spring in Queensland.”
The soaring temperatures bring an increased risk of heat stress for workers, Resources Safety and Health Queensland warned.
They said resource workers – those in the mining, quarrying, petroleum, gas and explosives industries – were especially at risk.
“Symptoms can include a range of progressive conditions such as dehydration, fainting, heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke,” RSHQ chief executive officer Rob Djukic said.
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He said heat-reduction strategies and techniques are simple, but often overlooked.
“That includes modifying the environment to suit the work, modifying the work to suit the environment, or sometimes a combination of both,” Djukic said.
Djukic urged worksites to implement a number of heat-reduction measures to protect their workers from heat-related illnesses.
These include rescheduling high physical work activities to cooler times of the day and using of mechanical aids where possible to minimise physical exertion.
