Working Outdoors During the Summer Months while Using Personal Protective Equipment Can be Challenging.

Workers in construction, gas, energy, steel, cement, and other industries often face rising temperatures at the workplace. Risks such as heatstroke, sun overexposure, and dehydration can be a reality for those working with PPE during the hottest season of the year.

Portugal is known for having a mild climate. Winter, although cold for most Portuguese, does not reach as significant negative temperatures as in other European countries.
In summer, which starts on June 21 and lasts until September 23, the temperature range averages between a minimum of 20ºC and can rise to a maximum of 40ºC. In some southern regions, temperatures have been recorded to rise to 50ºC.

Work gloves, jackets, helmets, and other PPE can cause workers to sweat more and increase discomfort, leading to decreased attention to detail and concentration during work, thus increasing the risk of accidents.
The temptation to remove PPE, even briefly, to seek some relief is very strong, but the dangers won’t disappear just because the worker is hot, and removing PPE will greatly increase the risk of incidents.

Given the increased discomfort, it’s easy to adopt a more relaxed attitude towards using Personal Protective Equipment during the summer, making it very important to know the right PPE to help you stay cool while maintaining the necessary level of protection.

Examples of measures you can take to stay cool while using PPE:

• Take breaks to drink fresh water and breathe in the shade/air conditioning. Make sure to put all your PPE back on after the break.
• Opting to wear lighter and looser fabric clothing can help with air circulation. The color of the clothing can also help, as dark colors absorb more heat from the sun, while lighter colors repel heat.
• Choose PPE designed for hot weather, such as caps with sweat liners, cooling bandanas, anti-fog glasses, among others.

Safety doesn’t take a break in the heat, but you can put the heat on pause! Don’t overburden your work.

Cooler alternatives are needed to face the heat, and ET has exactly what you need! Contact our specialized technical team!