City officials say they are following new state guidelines to protect employees from the ongoing heat wave.
With temperatures reaching 90 degrees and above this week, and feel-like temperatures in the triple digits, officials in Ocean City say they are taking extra precautions to ensure employees are staying safe.
In the city’s public works department, Deputy Director Scott Wagner said employees are following new heat-stress standards from Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH). The standards apply to all workplaces where an employee is exposed to a heat index at or above 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
This week, however, Wagner said the city is operating under high-heat procedures, as the heat index is above 90 degrees. He said public works employees are required to take a minimum 15-minute break every two hours.
“We leave it up to our supervisors to make sure they are doing that,” he said. “We’ll also drive around and spot check. And we’ll carry water around too.”
Ocean City Beach Patrol Captain Butch Arbin also acknowledged the state’s new regulations, which he said required every agency to have a plan, and training, for working in hot conditions.
“That’s new this year,” he said. “But so much of what we do already is taking care of that.”
Once you get heat stroke or severe heat exhaustion, you’ll never be the same again.