Columbia Weather Systems

  ⚠️ Trying to balance worker safety and productivity when temperatures get high? It’s not too early to be planning ahead for summer work crews. Could you use a more comprehensive measurement for monitoring heat stress? Inspired by requests from places like Kuwait and Quatar, where both temperatures and development are increasing, CWS is adding Thermal Work Limit (TWL) as a calculated parameter in our monitoring and display options. It might be useful for you, too, if you supervise or dispatch workers in outdoor environments like public safety, utilities, and construction. 🌡️ TWL is a measurement of heat stress that incorporates more environmental parameters than either Heat Index or Wet Bulb Globe Temperature. It includes dry and wet bulb temperatures, black globe temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, and barometric pressure. Therefore, it takes into account the cooling effects of air movement (wind). TWL’s advantages include: Improved Accuracy: Accounts for critical envir...

This week, Washington joined the Oregon OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) in adopting emergency safety measures in response to the recent record-breaking temperatures across the Pacific Northwest. The heatwave has been classified as a mass casualty event including at least one worker death. Oregon’s OSHA Administrator Michael Wood stated, “This rule creates greater clarity for employers about the specific steps that need to be taken to protect workers from heat stress dangers at work.” The main factor considered is heat index, which is what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with air temperature. According to Oregon OSHA, a workplace hazard exists when heat index reaches 80°F. The new measures require employers to provide adequate shade, drinking water, and implementation of a emergency medical plan when the heat index rises above 90°F including monitoring employees for signs of heat illness.  ♨️ For high heat safety...

HeatRisk is a tool that gives a visual of potential heat risk levels. Developed by the National Weather Service, its data factors in previous high/low temperatures, seasonality, and duration of unusual heat expected according to each location.  Use this free online resource this summer to plan ahead and be prepared for unusual heat events: http://bit.ly/NOAA-HeatRisk