The Trillium Construction Safety Committee came up with a guide on how to recognize the different forms of heat illnesses and how to treat and even prevent them from occurring. Although these types of instances are typically more prevalent in individuals who work outside, everyone should be aware of the signs and symptoms of heat illness as they can effect a variety of individuals in many varying occupations and circumstances.

Heat stress is commonly associated with warm weather. It’s true that warm weather increases the number of heat-stress injuries and illnesses. Warm weather isn’t the only cause of heat stress. Heat stress can occur any time the surrounding temperature is elevated. Even if the weather is cool, you may work in warm areas, indoors or out. Be alert for conditions which could cause heat stress and take precautions to prevent it. Six main factors are involved in causing heat stress including temperature, humidity, movement of air, radiant temperature of the surroundings, clothing, and physical activity.

Common-sense precautions, such as dressing properly for the job, include wearing lightweight clothing which allows moisture to evaporate quickly; wearing reflective clothing or cooling suits for jobs which require them; and using extra caution if you are required to wear clothing on the job which limits evaporation–you could succumb to heat stress much more quickly.

The major heat stress injuries and illnesses are described here:

• Heat Rash is caused by a hot, humid environment and plugged sweat glands. It is a bumpy red rash which itches severely. It is not life-threatening but is very annoying. Dry clothes that help sweat evaporate will reduce the chance of heat rash. Washing regularly and keeping the skin clean and dry will help prevent heat rash.
• Heat Cramps are painful muscle cramps caused by a loss of body salt through excessive sweating. To help prevent heat cramps, drink plenty of non-alcoholic, caffeine-free fluids while working in a hot environment. Check with your doctor about the use of salt tablets. They may be recommended in some cases. Anyone suffering from heat cramps should be watched carefully for signs of more serious heat stress. If the cramps persist or other symptoms develop, seek medical attention immediately.
• Heat Syncope (pronounced “sin-co-pay”) is sudden fainting caused by a reduced blood flow to the head. The victim’s skin will be cool and moist and their pulse will be weak. Immediate medical attention is needed in the event of syncope.
• Heat Exhaustion results from inadequate salt and water intake and is a sign the body’s cooling system is not working properly. You will sweat heavily, your skin will be cool and moist, your pulse weak, and you will seem tired, confused, clumsy, irritable or upset, they may breathe rapidly–even pant–and their vision may be blurred. You may strongly argue that you are okay even with these obvious symptoms. If you suspect heat exhaustion, don’t talk yourself out of seeking immediate medical attention. The heat exhaustion will affect your ability to exercise good judgment. Until medical help arrives, try to cool the yourself and take sips of cool water until medical help arrives. Immediate medical attention is required. Heat exhaustion can quickly lead to heat stroke.
• Heat Stroke is the deadliest of all heat stress conditions. It occurs when the body’s cooling mechanism has shut down after extreme loss of salt and fluids. The body temperature will rise, your skin will be hot, red, and dry, pulse fast, and you may have headache or dizziness. You will probably be weak, confused, and upset. Later stages of heat stroke cause a loss of consciousness and may lead to convulsions. In the event of heat stroke, seek immediate medical attention. Until help arrives, try to cool yourself and take sips of cool water.

Constant hydration is the key to avoiding heat illness. Make sure whether you are on the job or off the job to drink plenty of water day and night. A person should drink at minimum 8 ounces of water per hour. DO NOT wait until you are thirsty to drink water, it might be too late to avoid heat illness.

Being aware of Heat Illness, it’s warning signs and ways to prevent it can go a long way in keeping you and your co-workers safe this Summer season. 

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

The current Trillium Drivers that came to the meeting all received a high viability t-shirt, important safety reminders, safety kits with a safety vest, ice scraper, gloves, etc., and were able to ask questions as needed in regards to safety while on the job, providing an open forum for employees to engage with branch staff.

Safety is and always will be at the top of mind for all Trillium Employers across the country. From all of us at Trillium, thank you to the Indianapolis Drivers branch and your dedicated Drivers for continuing to put safety first on and off the job!

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

Typically, individual employers develop a workplace dress code specific to their working environment and industry. For instance, for many manufacturing positions, long pants and steel toe shoes are required year round due to the nature of work being performed. In other workplace environments, the dress code may be more casual, allowing employees to wear jeans and tennis shoes while on the job.

As an employer, it is important to update and remind employees of what the dress code is throughout the year, especially in areas where the climate changes from season to season. The more communication provided to employees, the less confusion there will be on both sides involved.

As an employee, always read and understand your employer’s specific dress code. If you have questions or concerns, reach out to the Human Resources department who can assist in clarifying anything that may be confusing or unclear. The more you know regarding what is and is not appropriate for your specific working environment, the less headaches later. While wearing flip flops, shorts and other warm weather gear is hard to resist this time of year, it is important to be knowledgeable about your employer’s dress code as it laid out in the employee handbook.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

1. Resume looking thin? No problem! Use any and all experience you have compiled over your career (school and professional) to beef up your resume. Volunteering, internships, being involved in club sports, extracurricular activities and even blogging can all provide your future employer with information regarding not only your work ethic but passion and drive.
2. Worried you do not have enough to add to your experience? Get out and get involved! Join a local organization and volunteer your time. You would be surprised how something as simple as giving up one day during the week could expand your network and provide you with contacts that want to help. Start a blog about something you’re interested in or passionate about, potentially gear it towards the industry you wish to excel in.
3. Do your research before performing online job searches. With an online marketplace saturated with candidates seeking employment, your main focus needs to be on how to stand out. One of the easiest ways to make this happen is to make sure you know what you’re doing when you start seeking work online. There are hundreds of job boards out there but not all of them may be right for your line of work. Do research to determine not only which boards you need to focus on, but also the best ways to contact Hiring Managers in your specific industry. There are tons of online resources available to give you the upper hand.
4. Social Media can be your friend and your enemy. As we all know, it is as easy as a google search to find out information regarding pretty much anything including you. The notion of privacy is never guaranteed. With this said, make sure you would feel comfortable with a future employer viewing or coming across any of your social media pages and profiles. In fact, it is a very good idea to start updating your pages to be more professionally focused, to build a most positive online presence.
5. Stay in contact with Alumni to build rapport and a networking platform. Attending a College or University can set you up with some great networking opportunities. This can be as simple as reaching out to your formal school asking to contact past professors and Alumni. It can be surprising how many fellow Alumni would be willing to assist you in your job search. Remember, they were once in your same shoes. Be prepared for these conversations, proving to your cohorts that you are ready and willing to make the next step in your career.
6. Networking can be intimidating but now is the time to step up . In all honesty, the success of you starting your career lies in your hands and your hands alone. The best way to increase your odds is to build up your networking pool. The more people that you connect with in your industry can dramatically increase your odds of landing that interview or getting your foot in the door. In today’s job market, networking is commonplace and people are a lot more eager to help you than you think. Just get out there and start the conversation!

Starting a career for anyone can definitely be a scary prospect. Just keep these tips in mind and be confident in your skill set and you will be well on your way to jump starting your career!

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

According to Truckingindustry.news, Mack Trucks is about to change all of that! Recently, Mack Trucks, a part of the Volvo Group, reported that they plan on using a fully electric refuse vehicle in 2019. The New York Department of Sanitation (DSNY) has been chosen to test the vehicle once it has been introduced.

Jonathan Randall, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Mack Trucks North America reports that introducing the truck will allow the company to move forward with the future of the industry in terms of sustainable technology. 

The benefits of implementing electric vehicles on such a grand scale can not be overlooked including zero emissions, reduced noise during operation and being environmentally sustainable to just name a few. While it is difficult to gauge the impact this will have on the trucking industry overall, it is a solid indication of where some of the leading trucking manufacturers are headed in terms of becoming environmentally responsible and reducing their carbon footprint. With gas and diesel prices on the rise and projected to continue to increase in the coming years, it begs the question; what other companies will follow suit? What will this mean in terms of cost to operate and overall overhead for transportation and logistics companies? It is definitely too early to tell but it will be interesting to see within the next few years if more and more electric powered trucks will be seen hauling freight in our neighborhoods and along our highways.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.