2.11 Attachment 14 NAVAVSCOLSCOMINST 5100.1 Chapter 28 SAFETY AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND HIGH-RISK TRAINING SAFETY PROGRAMS.pdf

NAVAVSCOLSCOMINST 5100.1E

N7

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CHAPTER 28

TRAINING PROCEDURES DURING EXTREME AND INCLEMENT WEATHER

CONDITIONS

28.01 Purpose. This chapter shall provide guidance when conducting training in inclement weather (i.e. extremely high temperatures, low temperatures, or other extreme weather conditions).

28.02 Scope. This chapter applies to training conducted by any high risk schoolhouse and to those courses where physical training is part of the curriculum. It does not apply to staff members.

28.03 Discussion. Inclement weather casualties are caused by multiple factors such as:

temperature, humidity, wind chill, rate of body heat production during work, interference of clothing with the dissipation of body heat, and deficiency of body water and salt. Secondary factors: include lack of physical fitness, malnutrition (improper diet), obesity, alcohol consumption, lack of scheduled periods of rest between periods of exertion, insufficient sleep, heat exposure immediately after a meal, and the presence of a minor illness or reaction to inoculations. Additionally, individuals are considered to be in a high risk category if they have

Sickle Cell Trait (SCT), fair skin, blond or red hair, or those that have suffered heat or cold related injuries in the past.

These individuals are at an increased risk during strenuous exercise while exposed to either hot or cold temperatures. Those with fair complexions are also at greater risk for sunburn, which could further predispose them to heat injury. The potential for permanent brain damage or death from heat injury must never be discounted.

Incident prevention is of critical importance. Appendix Z provides information on the types, causes, recognition, and treatment of inclement weather casualties. Appendix AA provides supervisory and instructor personnel with background material for the prevention of inclement weather-related injuries.

28.04 Information.

a. Warm Weather

(1) Water and salt intake

(a) Per reference (t), there will be no rationing of drinking water. All personnel will be allowed frequent opportunities to satisfy thirst but remember that normal thirst demands frequently do not meet the body’s requirements for water replacement.

(b) Water loss must be replaced, preferably by periodic intakes of small amounts of water throughout the exercise period. During periods of high activity with prevailing high risk environmental conditions, water requirement will be one pint or more per hour, per person. This

28-2 is best taken at 20-30 minute intervals. As activities or conditions become more severe, the intake should be increased accordingly.

(c) Thirst is not an adequate stimulus for water intake. Even with ample water supplies, a person will frequently dehydrate by 1 or 2 quarts unless drinking water is encouraged or required by supervisory control. This is particularly true in the case of students who are not fully acclimatized or who fall in to a high risk category.

(d) All personnel must consume adequate amounts of water before, during, and after any exposure to extreme temperatures. Consumption of at least ten fluid ounces of water ten minutes before any strenuous activity and eight fluid ounces after the activity is recommended for all personnel.

(e) Water shall be readily available to participants during runs exceeding 1.5 miles.

Participants will be encouraged to sip water as they desire.

(f) Exercising personnel must be monitored for signs and symptoms of dehydration.

Individuals are able to determine their dehydration level by comparing the color of their urine to the dehydration posters found in all student heads.

(g) Due to the dehydrating effects of alcohol and caffeine, consumption of these substances is not recommended within 24 hours of strenuous activity.

(h) All high risk category personnel engaged in physical activities shall be identified and counseled on their increased risk of injury/death during periods of exertion or heat stress per paragraph 5 of this instruction.

(i) All heat injuries shall be reported per references (a) through (d), (l), (m), and Chapter

10 of this manual.

(j) Salt replenishment for acclimatized personnel is normally adequate through normal daily meal consumption. Salt tablets are not to be taken unless prescribed by a physician.

(2) Acclimatization

(a) Personnel who are not accustomed to high temperature and humidity are particularly susceptible to heat stress during strenuous physical activity. This risk slowly diminishes with time. Full acclimatization requires about 12 weeks. Graduated restrictions in training will be based on the heat-stress flags according to Reference (t). All students who have lived in the

Pensacola area less than 12 weeks are to be considered not completely acclimated.

(b) All training programs for students who are not fully acclimated will be limited in intensity and time during high heat periods (yellow, red, and black flags). During the months of

April through October, an 84-day “climate exposure” period will be afforded to all students. All strenuous physical activity, from the first of April until the first of November, should normally be conducted prior to 0900 or after 1600. Good judgment must be exercised during the

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“exposure period” concerning the gradual increase of the students’ workload during this critical phase of training. Outdoor training schedules should provide a minimum of one ten-minute break every hour. The hour immediately afternoon and evening meals should be devoted to non-strenuous activity.

(3) Clothing

(a) All students and staff shall wear approved Navy PT uniform or organizational clothing during any organized PT session.

(b) For individual PT sessions, participants should wear shorts and a light-colored T-shirt.

(4) Wet-bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) Heat Index

(a) Per reference (t), the WBGT heat index is a calculation of the radiant heat balance between personnel and the environment. The heat index combines shade, air temperature, radiation, humidity, and wind into a single value to be used as a guide for regulating training.

The WBGT heat stress monitor automatically calculates the heat index or it can be computed from readings of a WBGT kit or WBGT index field apparatus. As the heat index increases and exercise restrictive conditions are reached, supervisors must ensure appropriate limits on physical exertion are observed. Colored flags posted at highly visible stations throughout the training area indicate heat index conditions. Flag colors are white, green, yellow, red, and black.

Each color requires implementation of progressively greater restrictions which are related to individual acclimatization. As flag conditions change, these restrictions become effective immediately. Violation of this requirement reduces the margin of safety below a permissible limit. During the period flags are displayed, training will be restricted as follows:

1. White flag (less than 82 degrees WBGT). No restrictions for training students.

Conduct operations with normal caution.

2. Green flag (82 degrees WBGT to 84.9 degrees WBGT). No restrictions for training students. All personnel should be alert to the possibility of an increase in the Heat Index.

Training of high risk category personnel and students who are not fully acclimatized will be conducted with extra caution.

3. Yellow flag (85 degrees WBGT to 87.9 degrees WBGT). Strenuous exercise such as outside physical training will be cancelled for students who are in first four weeks on board.

Any breaks during training shall be in a shaded area and students shall be allowed to hydrate at will. At no time shall the above events last more than 2 hours. Monitor all personnel closely, especially those considered in the high risk category. Outdoor classes exposed to the direct rays of the sun are to be avoided for personnel not fully acclimatized.

4. Red flag (88 degrees WBGT to 89.9 degrees WBGT). All outdoor physical training and strenuous exercise will be cancelled for personnel who have not become fully acclimatized.

Any breaks during training shall be in a shaded area and students shall be allowed to hydrate at

28-4 will. At no time shall the above events last more than two hours. Monitor all personnel closely, especially those considered in the high risk category.

5. Black flag (90 degrees WBGT and above). Outdoor training activity will be suspended for all training personnel. Staff are encouraged to use proper hydration techniques as well as caution when exercising during black flag conditions. Indoor training conducted in pools may continue if supervisory instructors closely monitor personnel.

Note: NASC personnel are authorized to move in formation during all flag conditions. NASC personnel shall use the most expeditious route during conditions of yellow flag or higher to minimize heat exposure time.

6. Only the CO may authorize training or physical activities to occur that are not within the parameters of current flag condition. Either the Safety Officer or the XO will resolve any conflict over flag conditions or contradicting orders.

7. Flag locations are as follows:

a) In front of building 3828

b) At the intersection of Chambers Ave and

Radford Blvd.

8. WBGT heat stress stations are established at the following locations:

a) Sherman Airfield

b) NASP Headquarters

c) Aviation Rescue Swimmer School (Outside)

d) Aviation Rescue Swimmer School (Pool)

e) Kane Field (BLDG 3828)

f) Aviation Water Survival (Pool)

g) Naval Aircrew Candidate School

h) NATTC Quarterdeck (BLDG 3460

(b) Heat Stress Monitoring (HSM). HSM will begin each year on the 1st of April and end on the 1st of November or any time the daily temperature is predicted to be above 80 degrees

Fahrenheit. HSM will consist of the WBGT, relative humidity, heat index and air temperature readings. All HRTI’s shall create and maintain an Evironet account via www.environet.io which can be set up through the Safety Office. The WBGT shall be monitored while HSM is in effect

28-5 throughout each school house’s individual training day. Each schoolhouse will be responsible for posting the appropriate colored flag in their area based on the WBGT condition. Flag conditions for Outdoor activities/training will be set by the station that is displaying to WBGT.

b. Cold Weather

(1) Injury Descriptions. Guidance on cold weather restrictions was derived from reference

(t). There are several injuries that arise in cold; the most common of which is frostbite (the freezing of cellular fluid that breaks cell membranes). Another serious cold weather injury is hypothermia. Hypothermia victims have pale skin, are comatose, and may appear dead.

Breathing is slow, shallow, and is often difficult to detect. The pulse is faint or absent. In both cases, initial first aid consists of immediate movement of the victim to a warm environment and/or covering the victim in multiple layers of warm clothing or blankets. All cold injuries shall be reported per Chapter 10 of this manual.

(2) Preventative Measures. All students should be briefed that it is their responsibility to dress appropriately to keep themselves warm. All students are required to bring service-approved long sweatpants and a long-sleeved sweatshirt to any outdoor physical activity between

November and March unless temperatures are 70 degrees or above.

(3) Regulations

(a) The Quarterdeck will contact the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Facility

(NAVTRAMETROFAC) for the wind chill readings every hour during the months of December through April. These readings will be passed to all applicable departments.

(b) Instructors shall obtain wind chill corrected temperatures prior to commencing training. They shall ensure appropriate clothing is worn for physical training.

(c) Ensure proper clothing is worn. During dry conditions, outdoor training is allowed provided that the wind chill corrected temperatures are 25 degrees or higher. These corrected readings will be provided by NAVTRAMETROFAC.

(d) Outdoor training is allowed in wet or visible moisture conditions provided proper clothing is worn. In these conditions, outdoor training shall not exceed a total of one hour.

(e) Proper clothing in cold weather is prescribed as follows:

1. Layered clothing is required.

2. Since heat loss through the head is greater than any other single body part, a watch cap is required when wind chill temperatures are below 33 degrees. Watch caps will not be worn indoors at any time.

3. Gloves are required when wind chill temperatures are below 33 degrees. They are optional at other times.

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(f) Cold weather exposure time must be limited. Expeditious, yet thorough, warm-ups and cool-downs are important any time, but take on added importance during cold weather training. Get outside, get warmed-up, exercise, cool-down, and get back inside.

c. Other Inclement Weather. Reference (w) is the destructive weather bill, which discusses training activities during tornado and hurricane conditions. Operational risk management may also prove useful in these situations.

(1) In heavy fog and other conditions of poor visibility the chip trail shall not be utilized.

(2) All schoolhouses shall have both a base station and portable lightning detectors available in order to identify possible lightning in the area. The base station shall be set up on the quarterdeck or in the instructor’s office. This device shall be monitored anytime a schoolhouse has outside activities or labs and the potential for thunderstorms exists. During these conditions, all HRTIs conducting operations outside shall have a portable lighting detector. The primary instructor shall appoint a responsible person as a weather safety lookout, utilizing lightning detectors and reports from NASC weather service to ensure the safety of staff and students. All thunderstorm conditions will be communicated from the Naval Meteorology and

Oceanography Facility (NAVTRAMETROFAC) to the NASC Quarterdeck. The NASC

Quarterdeck is responsible for relaying thunderstorm conditions to the schoolhouses.

Schoolhouses, please do not call NAVTRAMETROFAC for condition information.

Communication must be established with the NASC Quarterdeck.

(3) When lightning detectors and weather reports are unavailable, the weather safety lookout shall use the Flash-to-Bang (F-B) method to determine its approximate distance and speed. This technique measures the time from seeing the lightning to hearing the associated thunder. For each 5 second interval F-B, lightning is one mile away (i.e. a F-B of 10=2 miles, 15=3 miles, 20=4 miles, etc.). At a F-B count of 30 (or less), any outdoor activity shall be suspended. Students and staff members shall be directed to the nearest safe shelter.

(4) All outdoor activities should remain suspended for 30 minutes after the last thunder is heard.

(5) Students shall be sheltered inside buildings and away from windows.

(6) All lightning sightings shall be reported to the NASC Quarterdeck for proper communication relay to the other training departments.

(7) During Thunderstorm Conditions, students who have to move from building to another building shall do so in a very expeditious manner. Students shall not take time to move in formation from building to building.

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28.05 Action.

a. All Department Heads will ensure:

(1) Their staff is well-indoctrinated in extreme temperatures and inclement weather casualty prevention and recognition, as well as emergency aid procedures.

(2) Students and staff are instructed on procedures for preventing heat and cold injuries.

For heat injuries, including recommended procedures for hydrating before, during, and after exposure. For cold injuries, layering of clothing, wearing of stocking cap and gloves.

(3) All students identified by medical to be in the high risk category are annotated on class rosters and clearly identified to ensure close monitoring by instructors.

(4) Student health records are reviewed by medical to identify any individual who has a history of previous heat or cold intolerance.

b. All Supervisors, Instructors, and Physical Fitness Coordinators will ensure:

(1) Adequate monitoring for signs and symptoms of dehydration and encourage hydration of staff and student personnel.

(2) A completed mishap report, found on ESAMS, is submitted within 5 working days to the Safety Officer in every case of heat casualty requiring the attention of a Medical Officer.

c. The Command Flight Surgeon will:

(1) Ensure health records of all new staff and student personnel are screened and notify respective department heads and the Command Fitness Coordinator of SCT personnel and those high risk category students who would be susceptible to heat injury.

(2) Personally review all Physical Training Programs for safety and compliance with appropriate directives.