Claire Muselman: Summer eventually comes to an end. Boo. The lessons it teaches should not. Over the past month we have explored heat, fatigue, storms, air quality, optimism bias, rushing, noise, new employees, experienced workers, recovery, and dozens of other factors influencing workplace safety. At first glance these topics appear unrelated. The science tells a different story. Each one illustrates how biology, psychology, environment, and organizational systems interact to shape human performance long before an injury occurs.

Heat offers one of the clearest examples. The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) found heat-related illnesses increase dramatically as temperatures rise, although the larger story involves
the indirect effects of heat on attention, reaction time, judgment, and decision-making. Many summer injuries are never classified as heat illnesses despite heat influencing the conditions leading to falls, vehicle crashes, equipment incidents, and other workplace injuries. Human physiology does not distinguish between direct and indirect effects. Organizations should not either. 

Read the full article here.  WCRI's research on heat includes Impact of Excessive Heat on the Frequency of Work-Related Injuries, our FlashReport on Heat-Related Illnesses in the Workplace, and Impact of California’s Heat Standard on Workers’ Compensation Outcomes.  Visit their pages on our website for more information, including links to download a copy!