California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health offers tips for employers and workers to prevent heat-related illness.
Animal health is a year-round part of what farmers and ranchers do, but it’s especially important as we gear up for this late summer heat wave.
First of all, be sure to protect yourself, your family and your employees from the dangers that extreme and prolonged heat can pose when working outdoors. California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health offers heat illness prevention information for employers here. The US Dept. of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s employer guide is available here.
This long, hot summer has already given our ranchers a lot of practice at protecting their livestock and poultry from overheating. Fall may be just around the corner, but the forecast for this heat wave is as serious as we’ve seen lately.
Check those back-up generators, fans, misters and shade structures. Be sure your waterers are refilled with fresh water to encourage drinking, and do what you can to minimize animal handling during the hottest part of the day.