Atchison summer safety bulletin warns of rising heat injury risks

Outdoor crews, construction workers, manufacturing staff and anyone working without air conditioning face the sharpest risk as Atchison moves into the hottest stretch of the year, when the city says workplace injuries and fatalities tend to peak in July and August. The City of Atchison’s June 2 summer safety bulletin warned that heat injury risk starts climbing significantly around 85 degrees and rises again at 100 to 105 degrees, a range that can quickly turn a normal shift into a medical emergency.

The city tied the warning to roughly 28,000 injuries each year linked to excessive heat exposure and said the biggest hazards are heat illness, dehydration, sun exposure, fatigue and even insect or wildlife bites. Supervisors were urged to watch for confusion, dizziness, heavy sweating and a weak pulse, signs that can point to heat exhaustion or heat stroke. The bulletin treated the start of June as a reminder that road work, field work, facility maintenance and outdoor events all compete with summer conditions across Atchison County.

City guidance said the safest response is simple and practical: drink fluids often, move the heaviest work to cooler parts of the day, and build in shaded or air-conditioned rest breaks. Workers were also told to wear loose, light-colored clothing and to use sunscreen, hats, sunglasses and cooling gear. New or returning workers need time to adjust, and the city pointed to a 7- to 14-day acclimatization period before full exposure to high temperatures.

The message echoed an earlier Atchison summer heat post from July 7, 2025, which told residents to stay hydrated, seek cool places, wear light-colored and loose-fitting clothing and schedule outdoor activity for cooler times of day. Atchison’s July 9, 2024 extreme-heat safety post went further, saying extreme heat kills more people than any other weather event and is becoming more frequent, severe and longer lasting as climate change intensifies summer conditions.

The local warning also lined up with federal workplace safety guidance. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says millions of U.S. workers are exposed to heat on the job, thousands get sick each year from occupational heat exposure and some cases are fatal. OSHA published its proposed Heat Injury and Illness Prevention rule on Aug. 30, 2024, held an informal public hearing from June 16 through July 2, 2025, and set a post-hearing comment deadline of Oct. 30, 2025. CDC and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health guidance also recommends a 7- to 14-day acclimatization period, while the Kansas Department of Labor’s Industrial Safety and Health Division says it helps identify safety hazards and eliminate unsafe practices.