July 18, 2006: OSHA QuickCards Help Keep Workers Safe in Hot Weather
WASHINGTON - Fast-thinking employees performing cleanup and recovery work in New Orleans helped save a co-worker's life by using an OSHA QuickCard to identify signs of heat stroke and then provide first aid until an ambulance arrived a few minutes later. Earlier that day, the small group of workers and their supervisor held a 15-minute safety meeting to discuss the recognition, treatment, and dangers of heat-related illnesses.
After being treated for heat stroke, the worker was released from an area hospital and returned to work the next day. An attending physician said that if treatment had been delayed another 15 minutes, he might have died.