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News | June 23, 2023

North American Battery Recyclers: Working Together to Lessen the Impact of Heat on Employees

We're committed to preventing employee heat stress.

Association for Battery Recyclers’ (ABR) Spring Meeting brought together attendees from across the continent to share ideas and best practices and hear from experts and leaders in the industry about the latest developments in technology and procedures – including important health and safety topics.

Since June is National Safety Month in the U.S., and this week is devoted to heightening awareness about heat-related illnesses, we’d like to share news about the efforts the members of ABR are taking to address and lessen the impact of heat on employees in their facilities.

Battery recyclers are aware of the challenges that working in hot environments may pose and take efforts ideally to prevent, and if needed identify and treat, heat-related illnesses. Our annual Spring Meeting this year included a session that was an opportunity to learn from an expert about the latest in updates and trends in heat stress and ways to prevent it.

Arm band to detect employee heat stress.
SlateSafety monitoring device.

What is Heat Stress?

Heat stress, also known as thermal stress, is the heat load an individual is exposed to. There are many factors that add up to the total heat stress someone is carrying, including their rate of work and movement, the temperature of the surrounding surfaces, the heat exchange between body and ambient air, and evaporative heat loss (sweat evaporation).

Heat-related illnesses, including heat exhaustion and heat stroke, result when the heat stress load is too high.

Every Worksite, and Every Worker, Is Different

There are innumerable variables when considering the level of heat stress for any individual.

Every work environment is different and may change significantly day to day or hour to hour depending on factors such as weather. Every body is different in how it reacts to heat, and the same person might respond very differently to the same conditions on different days.

All of which make it difficult to make specific recommendations that will fit all situations. It is possible, however, to agree on approaches to the issue that are customizable to individual facilities and a variety of conditions.

What We’re Doing to Prevent Heat Stress

Putting employees and their safety first is integral to the way our members operate. Finding ways to address the increasing occurrence of heat-related illnesses in North America is an urgent and important concern of many industries and companies and one that was discussed in depth at our in-person Spring Meeting.

Our members include heat stress in their comprehensive safety plans. Current practices and investments include training, monitoring, protocols, and PPE including cooling vests, cooling towels, and ice jackets. Worksite modifications include insulating heat sources, fresh air islands, cooling rooms, additional air conditioning, and providing food and drink that aid in lowering body temperature. Job rotation, buddy systems, increased rest opportunities and the increased staff required to accommodate it, in addition to extensive training, are also measures our members currently use and are continually evaluating.

Employee putting on ice vest to prevent heat stress.
Employee ice vest.

Where We’re Going

The top priority for North American lead battery recyclers is to ensure the health, safety and well-being of our employees, their families and local communities. While monitoring heat stress is a challenge due to the many variables that can impact any individual reaction to the same conditions, our members are investing in developing ways to measure and monitor heat stress, including more comprehensive models and wearable technologies that will help measure body reactions in real time.

ABR members continue to invest in infrastructure, training, new technologies, and staffing adjustments. We look forward to our future meetings where we’ll learn about even more innovations that will help keep workers safe and healthy.

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