Western Australia is always hot during the summer. Add a heat wave on top of that, and it’s nothing short of dangerous. When going to work means ‘out of the frying pan and into the fire’, the health implications can be serious. As a whole, these problems are usually referred to as ‘heat stress’ or ‘heat illness’, and the West Australia government gives some information and advice on their Worksafe website. Here’s a quick break-down: four types of heat-related illness roughly in order of severity.

Most of our customers at Lyons Air Conditioning like to put us to work on their mobile equipment, truck and automotive air conditioning systems. We specialise in air conditioning services, pressurisation and ventilation for vehicles and mining, earthmoving and construction equipment. We have the skills, knowledge and parts on hand to work with every type of compact environmental control system, and we’re experts with onsite electrical work, as well. Have you thought about bringing us onboard for all the work you need done to establish onsite air conditioning and electrical systems?

Every employee and contractor has the right to expect a working environment that is as safe and comfortable as the job allows. At minimum, that means attention to health and safety on the part of the employer. If workplace risks can’t be eliminated, then they should be approached with awareness and minimised as much as possible. Everyone knows that this way of thinking applies to things like the risk of falling, the use of dangerous tools and machines, and exposure to potentially harmful substances. However, the work environment itself can pose a risk, especially if the temperature is far too hot or too cold. Workers have a right to expect an environment that allows for a reasonable level of comfort, and smart employers know that an unhealthy and uncomfortable environment means workers will not be as productive.

If you work in trucking, then you’re familiar with Hot Shot services. These are express freight transport runs where trucks with two drivers stay on the road all day and night, reaching their far-away destination as quickly as physically possible. They’re a great option, and they’re very popular. With two drivers, one is at the wheel while the other sleeps, and there’s always a second person to help prevent problems and to step in if there’s an emergency. In many ways, it’s a good idea.

In April, the refrigerant-contaminated air in the cab of a truck caught fire and severely injured the driver and passenger. The scariest thing is that it could have been much worse. They were driving slowly down a suburban street in Perth at the time, and they managed to jump out the doors and escape the flames in the cab. Nobody other than the occupants was injured, but if the same thing had happened on a crowded city freeway, then the results could have been catastrophic.

Mining is a dangerous job, and while tunnel collapses and other violent accidents make the national and international news, most people are less aware of dangers that take a longer time to cause injury and loss of life. The mineral and silica dust that miners are often exposed to is one example of a slow, but serious, threat to workers’ health.

Lyons Airconditioning have been the industry leaders in automotive airconditioning for over 20 years and from the 9th of April until the 11th of April we will be displaying a number of our major products and services at the Civil and Mining Expo (CME 2014). Mining, truck and earthmoving equipment airconditioning and auto electrical solutions have become a strength and focus of our company and we are looking forward to presenting our capabilities at the upcoming CME expo

The sun is beating relentlessly on your cab as you speed through the outback with a load of ore. Things are getting hotter and hotter and finally you realise that the air coming out of the registers is warmer than the air in the cab. The air conditioning is cranked up to maximum, but nothing is happening. You pull over and call Lyons Air and book an appointment.

You are a WA trucker. You are hauling loads between clients and towns, to and from mines and all over the wilds of Western Australia. You are driving in some of the world is most punishing heat, and it seems to be getting worse every year. The ground all around is red, the road is a ribbon of dust and outside the protection of your trucks air conditioned cab, you know it is just about the closest it gets to hell on earth. If you are smart, you know that you cannot afford to have the air conditioning in your truck fail. The heat in WA can be deadly and the inside of an un-airconditioned truck is like an oven. With the heat waves we have seen in recent years, driving without dependable air-conditioning is not just uncomfortable. It is dangerous.