With Your Employer’s
With Your Employer’s Family When It’s Hot?
Helpful Advice For You To Help Them.
If you are accompanying your employer and family on a holiday, perhaps caring for children, the current mega heatwaves can be extremely dangerous. Here is how you can help.
The following information comes with thanks from the World Health Organisation.
To protect yourself and others during a heatwave:
· Move to the coolest room in the home, especially at night.
· If it is not possible to keep the home cool, spend 2-3 hours of the day in a cool place (such as an air-conditioned public building).
· Avoid going outside during the hottest time of the day.
· Avoid strenuous physical activity if possible. If you must do strenuous activity, do it during the coolest part of the day, which is usually in the morning between 04:00 and 07:00.
· Stay in the shade.
· Do not leave children or animals in parked vehicles.
How do I keep a body cool during a heatwave?
Keep the body cool and hydrated by taking cool showers or baths during a heatwave. Use cold packs and wraps, towels, sponges and foot baths to keep cool. Wear light, loose-fitting clothes of natural materials.
Outside, wear a wide-brimmed hat or cap and sunglasses. Use light bed linen and sheets, and no cushions, to avoid heat accumulation. Drink regularly, but avoid alcohol and too much caffeine and sugar. Eat small meals and eat more often. Avoid foods that are high in protein.
What should I do if I feel unwell during a heatwave?
If people feel dizzy, weak, anxious or have intense thirst and headache during a heatwave, it is best to move them to a cool place as soon as possible and measure body temperature. Drink water or fruit juice to rehydrate.
Rest immediately in a cool place if you/they have painful muscular spasms (particularly in the legs, arms or abdomen), and drink oral rehydration solutions containing electrolytes. If none are readily available then flat lemonade is better than water. Medical attention is needed if heat cramps last more than 1 hour. Consult the doctor if unusual symptoms or if symptoms persist.
If one of your family members or people you assist presents hot dry skin and delirium, convulsions and/or unconsciousness, call a doctor/ambulance immediately. While waiting for help, move the person to a cool place, put him or her in a horizontal position and elevate legs and hips, remove clothing and initiate external cooling, for example, by placing cold packs on the neck, under the arm and groin, fanning continuously and spraying the skin with water at 25–30 °C. Measure the body temperature. Do not give acetylsalicylic acid or paracetamol. Position an unconscious person on his or her side.
How do I keep the home cool during a heatwave?
During a heatwave aim to keep living space cool. Check the room temperature between 08:00 and 10:00, at 13:00 and at night after 22:00. Ideally, the room temperature should be kept below 32 °C during the day and 24 °C during the night. This is especially important for infants or adults over the age of 60 or those who have chronic health conditions.
At night and early morning, when the outside temperature is lower, open all the windows and shutters in your home. During the day, close the windows and shutters (if available), especially those facing the sun.
Turn off artificial lighting and as many electrical devices as possible. Hang shades, draperies, awnings or louvres on windows that receive morning or afternoon sun. Hang wet towels to cool down the room air. Note that the humidity of the air increases at the same time.
If your residence is air conditioned, close the doors and windows and conserve electricity not needed to keep you cool, to ensure that power remains available and reduce the chance of a community-wide outage. Electric fans may provide relief, but when the temperature is above 35 °C, may not prevent heat-related illness. It is important to drink fluids.
High temperatures can be dangerous, we hope this guide helps keep your employer’s family and you safe.
The Graham Agency, working with you.