It’s hot outside. You probably already know that because it’s summer, and you probably still go outside from time to time. Still, it’s worth acknowledging because the extreme heat wave hitting the eastern half of the country is causing problems for workers and utilities.
For manufacturers, high heat means the need to pay more attention to workers for signs of heat stress, and it means keeping an eye out for any alerts from your power providers that a brownout may be coming. Because high heat isn’t just annoying, it’s dangerous and it puts a strain on the electrical grid.
Discussing these topics for our podcast are:
- Dave Blanchard, editor-in-chief of EHS Today
- Jeff Postelwait, managing editor of another partner publication, T&D World
Blanchard says at times like this, beware of heat stress.
“People are usually pretty good at making sure a dog in a hot car is taken care of… But they’re not always as proactive about themselves,” Blanchard said. “According to OSHA, which tracks these kinds of things for the workplace, heat stress or heat exposure is the No. 1 cause of death among all hazardous weather conditions in the United States. So, it’s a big deal. It’s something to be concerned about.”
Common signs include:
- Heavy sweating
- Fever
- Dry hot skin
- Feeling faint or dizzy
- Lethargy
- Reduced appetite
- Irritability
“You don’t have to wait for OSHA to tell you [what to do]. Use common sense,” Blanchard said. “Let your workers keep a bottle of water at their station. Let them take a break if they feel faint. Sit down, catch your breath, get some shade. If there's no AC, at least have a big ventilation fan… Include a buddy system. Train your workers to understand what heat stress feels like. And teach them to spot the signs in coworkers. If someone’s nodding off or doesn’t look well, that’s easy to see if you’re paying attention.”
On the power grid side, Postelwait said utility managers are increasingly worrying about the state of the grid.
“There’s definitely a lot of talk in the industry about how to keep the lights on during severe heat and prolonged droughts. One of the main ways heat affects the grid is through demand. When people pump up their AC and stay inside, that creates strain,” Postelwait said. “My colleague Christina Marsh at T&D World wrote about how the U.S. Department of Energy and the Georgia Public Service Commission announced actions to address growing strain on the region’s power systems. Just this week, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright issued an emergency order under the Federal Power Act, authorizing Duke Energy Carolinas to operate some of its plants at full capacity.”
He added that electric vehicle use, residential construction and especially new data centers are taxing the grid. Accenture estimates that demand is growing 4% annual for the first time since the 2000s.
“We’re going to have to build our way out of [this]. Yes, there are grid-enhancing technologies, but the scale of this growth – 4% annually – adds up fast. We’re going to need new transmission lines, power plants – steel, concrete, and skilled labor,” Postelwait said.
