Occupational Health Nurse, ISSA Certified Personal Trainer CPT, RN COHC at an Aluminum Foundry near Saint Louis, MO
In 2016, this facility treated 38 cases of heat illness across 3 shifts which required first aide.
Air conditioning in the facility was neither a practical nor cost effective solution.
In order to support several specific employees who were more susceptible to heat related incidents, the Occupational Health Nurse explored the possibility of using direct cooling to the individual worker’s body core.
300 employees working in the heat over 3 shifts needed to be protected.
Each employee was assigned an Ice Vest™ and each vest was stored in the facility. 1st and 2nd shifts were each managed by one employee, and instructions were posted for third shift. The chosen employee assisted the Occupational Health Nurse with checking the Ice Vests in/out during shifts. They worked on a "trading out" schedule as they learned how long each panel set would last in their environment and with their workloads. Workers stepped away from the line to trade out panels for fresh panels. After logging the employee's name, date, time out, time in, department, vest number and observations, the managing employee would return thawed panels to be frozen again.
"It was a great experience working with Maranda Enterprises. They helped us come up with a plan to keep our employees safer on the job. Now we're expanding the program."
-Diane, Occupational Health Nurse
Contact us for a free cooling safety assessment
5300 W County Line Road
Mequon, WI 53092
(262) 236-3970
info@coolingvest.com
