Three tips to manage heatwaves: International SOS

As temperatures continue to stay high in mid-2023, some may feel the signs of heat-related illnesses, such as rashes, cramps, dizziness, and headaches. They may even feel weak, have nausea/vomiting, or collapse, according to Dr Chan Yanjun, Medical Director (Singapore and Malaysia), International SOS.

Employers and employees need to understand that heat-related illnesses and death are preventable, when the right measures are taken, said Dr Chan.

Take more care if you're at risk

To begin with, some groups are at more risk of heat-related illnesses than others, he said, such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. These groups include:

- Those above 65 years old

- Pregnant / nursing mothers

- Those with medical conditions or on medications

- Those who spend a lot of time outdoors

- Employees stationed near heat sources or working conditions where the air is still

- Employees who work with hot objects, wear heavy clothing / protective gear,
and work long shifts

Sweating doesn't mean cooling

"A common misconception is their body is releasing heat as long as they are perspiring. As such, they do not need to worry about heat-related illness if they are sweating. However, heat from your body is only lost when the moisture evaporates.

"In humid countries such as Singapore, sweat evaporates at a slower pace. Therefore, you can still sweat a lot but not lose much body heat. This makes it imperative for employees, especially those who work under the sun, to be constantly hydrating, and replenishing salts and minerals such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium lost through sweat."

Taking breaks and hydrating

"To prevent heat-related illness, you must be smart about hydration and taking breaks from work," Dr Chan added. Some examples include:

- Planning and taking scheduled breaks in cool places

- Drinking safe mineral water or natural juice regularly – about every 20 minutes, or before you feel thirsty

- Choose to hydrate with mineral water, sports drinks, and natural fruit or vegetable juice

Heatwave concept image generated
by Dream by WOMBO.

- Refrain from alcoholic drinks, caffeinated drinks, and drinks with high sugar content

"Employers must encourage their workers to take breaks if they are feeling uncomfortable due to the heat. They also have to keep an eye out for instances where their employees show signs of heat illness in order to act early to save lives," Dr Chan said.

International SOS recommends the following when someone shows signs of heatstroke:

- Call for emergency medical help

- Move them to a cooler place to lie down

- Cool them in the best way possible – Cool the skin, make a breeze, use ice packs

- Offer cool water to drink if they are awake and able to drink. Do not give them drinks if they are not alert or vomiting

- Take their temperature every 10 minutes. Stop cooling efforts if their temperature is within the range of 38.3 – 38.9 ^oC

- If the person is unconscious, place them in the recovery position 

- Act fast – When a person is overwhelmed by heat, their body temperatures can reach dangerously high levels in just 10 to 15 minutes

AccuWeather MinuteCast is available on the Garmin vivoactive HR smartwatch

AccuWeather, the global provider of weather information and digital media, today announced AccuWeather MinuteCast, which is currently available on Garmin devices such as the Forerunner and fēnix running and training watches, is also available on the newly launched Garmin vivoactive HR smartwatch.

The Garmin vivoactive HR, a GPS smartwatch with wrist heart rate technology, enables users to measure the intensity of activity, monitor progress, and keep track of activity throughout the day by way of monitoring sleep, floors climbed, steps taken, and much more. Active users also have the ability to easily access AccuWeather’s MinuteCast on their smartwatch, providing them with the most accurate minute-by-minute precipitation forecasts for the next two hours, specific to their exact street address or GPS location. 

“AccuWeather is pleased to partner with Garmin on another ground-breaking addition to their wearables lineup,” said Steven Smith, President of Digital Media at AccuWeather. “Making it fast and easy for active Garmin users to access unique hyper local, minute-by-minute forecasts on their smartwatch with AccuWeather MinuteCast enables them to make informed decisions on the go while running, biking, skiing, and more.”

Interested?

In Asia, the patented AccuWeather MinuteCast is available to people living and travelling in Japan. 

The AccuWeather MinuteCast widget is available for free in the Garmin Connect IQ store

Hashtag: #MWC16

YouGov maps haze fallout

Many Southeast Asian countries experienced significant haze – caused primarily by forest fires burning in the region - this year. According to a YouGov survey*, there was high awareness of the haze issue in Southeast Asia within the region.

Almost eight in 10 (78%) Asian people say they are aware of the haze caused by Indonesian landscape fires. Awareness was lowest in Hong Kong (at 48%) and Mainland China (at 44%), but in the three countries most affected by the haze (Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore), only 2% of respondents in each location claim not to know about the haze.

Mask-makers did well during this period. Two-thirds (65%) of those in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore wore a mask when the haze was present. Among those who chose not to wear a mask during the haze, 39% say that they don’t find it necessary, 38% think it’s uncomfortable to wear masks, and 18% think that the mask cannot protect them from the pollution anyway.

Among those who are aware of the haze, 58% of them think palm oil companies setting their plantations on fire are a cause of the fires in Indonesia. Some 48% think the fires are caused by farmers setting their plantations on fire. And 44% think that dry weather causes the Indonesian fires.

When asked who they think is responsible for the resulting haze from the fires, with multiple answers possible, 63% of respondents said the palm oil plantation companies. An almost equal number, 62%, think it is the Indonesian Government. A smaller number, 18%, think it is the brands which use palm oil in their products that are responsible for the haze.

Two in every three people in Asia (67%) think the Indonesian government has not done enough to solve theproblem of the haze, believing the government can do more to reinforce the law regarding the use of fire to clear land for oil plantations. Within Indonesia itself, responses on this aspect are quite diverse: 45% believe the Indonesian government can do more to solve the haze problem, but 44% think their goverment has done enough by enacting legislation that prohibits illegal forest fires to clear land for farming.

YouGov also asked Asian respondents if any other regional country governments (or other parties) can do more to help solve the haze problem. Two thirds (65%) of Asian respondents think governments in other countries can do more in terms of investment in monitoring and enforcing existing bans on the use of fire as a method for land preparation. About half (51%) agree that companies using palm oil in their products should be able to verify that the palm oil used does not contribute to deforestation. 42% agree that consumers should also let manufacturers know that they want to know if the palm oil used in their products is grown on plantations free from deforestation.

Source: YouGov infographic.

One-in-five people (20%) in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore suffered health problems due to the haze. More than half (57%) of Indonesian, Malaysian, and Singaporean respondents said they stay at home more when there is haze. Only 13% said the haze had not affected their lifestyle in any way.

For 69% of people in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, outdoor activities became less attractive. Four in 10 (41%) of them also said they spend less on travel and holidays because of the haze.

While 43% of respondents in the three countries most affected by haze haven’t had any visible health impact as a result of the haze, about one in three (32%) have suffered some haze-related health problems that they addressed themselves, while one in five (20%) suffered haze-related health problems for which they had to see a doctor.

When asked “If haze did not affect your country, how concerned would you be regarding this issue?”, more than half (52%) of respondents in these countries says that they would still care. Only 5% claim they would not care at all.

Upon hearing that the haze would continue on until early next year, 66% of respondents are disappointed, 54% are angry and 53% say they want to do something to help. Some 22% say in this situation, they will be resigned to fate.

Regarding the Pollutants Standard Index (PSI) readings or equivalent produced by the national environment authorities, 57% of respondents in Asia sees the readings as ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ trustworthy. A quarter do not trust the readings and the remainder do not look at the PSI readings at all.

The haze has changed the travel behaviour of people in Asia Pacific. 68% say they would only visit cities/countries that remain unaffected by the haze. Only 7% of respondents would still visit the affected cities/countries and think the haze is not a problem. Another 18% would still visit the affected cities/countries due to business travel, family visits, or because they already paid for the trip.

In fact, regardless of the haze, Singapore is among the top five countries in the Asia Pacific region where respondents would want to visit the most:

1. Japan (50%),
2. Australia (43%),
3. New Zealand (38%),
4. Singapore (33%), and
5. Thailand (25%).

However, the above ranking doesn’t stay the same in some countries. In Mainland China, half of the respondents (50%) want to visit Singapore most, while over 50% of Malaysians want to travel to Australia most.

Interested?

View the full infographic

*YouGov polled 7,536 respondents online across Asia Pacific from 17 to 23 November 2015. All data was collected from YouGov panellists and weighted to be representative of the online population. 

Spotify compiles playlist for hazy weather

Source: Spotify.

Spotify has come up with a playlist to accompany the hazy weather now dominating in Singapore and Malaysia. Enjoy the playlist below:

Interested?

Check out the hourly air quality readings in Singapore

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog post on Spotify's mobile-first focus

Hashtag: #SGHaze

Beautycare to follow changing weather conditions

Mintel Beauty & Personal Care (BPC) has identified seasonality as a new global beauty trend. The concept refers to how specific weather conditions defines beauty regimens.

Source: Mintel website.

According to Mintel BPC, seasonal products accounted for as many as 11.1% of all beauty and personal care launches in 2014, up from 9.8% in 2011. Additionally, seasonal facial skincare launches rose from 0.5% of global launches in 2009 to 1.2% in 2014.

Jane Henderson, Global President of Mintel’s Beauty and Personal Care Division at Mintel, said, “Our research shows that consumers are becoming increasingly aware of – and concerned about – how changes in the environment are affecting the condition of their skin and hair. Already, beauty manufacturers have started to go beyond taking simple seasonal approaches geared to public holidays or gifting occasions and instead are taking on the elements within their product innovation.”

Highlighting a gap in the market, Mintel’s exclusive consumer research reveals the strong global consumer demand for skincare launches that tap into changing seasons. Almost half (48%) of Chinese female facial skincare users choose products from different brands in different seasons.

Vivienne Rudd, Director of Insight, Beauty and Personal Care at Mintel, said, “A new generation of winter care products offer additional care and hydration for the skin. These tend to target dry or very dry skin and mention cold, dry weather. However, the future will see the arrival of boosters that address cold, damp weather as well as the extremes of dryness. Meanwhile, extreme summer conditions are calling for products which protect the skin from heat and humidity as well as UV damage, and which build up resilience against the forthcoming autumnal changes. By creating these seasonal options, brands have a chance of building year-round loyalty.”

Seasonal haircare is coming to the fore, Mintel notes. “Today, we have a number of generic seasonal skincare and haircare launches, but in the future we expect a new generation of products targeting specific skin and hair issues. These product introductions have the opportunity to address concerns that have arisen due to climatic conditions and seasonal stresses, varying their textures, building up seasonal ingredient profiles and selecting appropriate fragrance blends,” Rudd said.

“Seasonal approaches in beauty also extend to ingredients harvested at the most opportune time, while seasonal boosters and complementary teas and tonics will join mainstream collections. The seasonal issue will have an impact on global launch programmes. With the seasons arriving in different geographic zones at different times, colour cosmetics brands will have to take a more time-sensitive approach to their seasonal colour stories, while skincare and haircare brands may have to stagger their launch programmes more accurately. Beauty brands will also take cues from localised seasons such as the Monsoon in Southeast Asia to launch relevant and eye catching products.”