​DUSON is committed to the safety of its faculty, staff and students. This month’s awareness focuses on extreme heat and what you can do to stay safe:

• Stay hydrated. Drink water regularly throughout the day, even if you do not feel thirsty.
• Avoid caffeine.
• Limit outdoor activity, especially strenuous activities, to morning or evening hours. 
• If outdoors stay in shade as much as possible. Sunburn makes heat dissipation more difficult.
• Keep track of outdoor temperatures and personal comfort levels to know what temperatures feel too hot. When possible, spend more time in air-conditioned places.
• Dress in lightweight, light-colored cotton clothing. This will reflect the heat and sunlight and help you maintain normal body temperatures.
• If you start feeling significantly weakened, take a break.
• Avoid foods that increase metabolic heat production and increase water loss, such as proteins.
• In the event that demand for cooling via Duke’s chilled water system begins to exceed capacity, Duke may implement its emergency response plan, which could lead to groups of buildings being taken off the system for a limited amount of time.

This safety message has been brought to you by DUSON’s Emergency Preparedness Team. For more DUSON emergency information and tips, visit our Emergency Information Center.