Stay safe in a heatwave with these six tips

The Star, Sheffield

Here's six tips from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents on how to stay safe during a heatwave as temperatures are set to hit 33C in Sheffield on July 12.

Transcript

00:00Morning Sheffield, it's Alistair from the Sheffield Star.

00:04You don't know this about me, but I spent a large portion of my life growing up in Cyprus

00:07in the Mediterranean, where heat of around over 30 degrees was kind of the normal during

00:12spring through summer, and at the time I thought that'd be it for the rest of my life, that's

00:16how it peaks.

00:17But no, we're in the UK now where it touches over 30 degrees fairly regularly during the

00:20summer and it's getting quite spooky if you ask me.

00:24That being said, it's predicted by the Met Office that Sheffield will see temperatures

00:27of up to 33 degrees this Saturday with a very high UV index, meaning it's not particularly

00:32safe to be out during the hours of 11 and 3 without sunscreen on.

00:36So we're going to talk about some heatwave safety tips that you can look into to keep

00:39yourself safe during this very hot weekend that's coming for Sheffield.

00:43Today's tips come courtesy of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, who have six

00:47ways you can stay safe during a heatwave.

00:49Hey, they might seem like obvious things, but these things can creep up on you on a hot

00:52day and really put you in a state of poor health if you don't look after yourself.

00:56Even if you've heard these things a million times before, do take them seriously and think

00:59about how to look after yourself and your family on a hot day like we've got coming

01:02in Sheffield.

01:03Number one, stay hydrated.

01:04Yeah, stay hydrated, specifically drinking water.

01:07I know it's a summer weekend and it's a really nice time to get out and enjoy a coffee in the

01:10sun or maybe celebrate bank holiday style with a couple of drinks in with your friends.

01:15But you need to accompany that with regular old water.

01:19It's the easiest thing in the world.

01:20It's going to taste really good on a hot day.

01:21You're going to have your booze, you're going to have your coffee or whatever else you're going

01:24to have, you can't focus on just those things or soft drinks.

01:27Get your water inside of you.

01:28It will look after you.

01:30Simplest thing in the world.

01:31Make sure you stay hydrated.

01:32Number two, stay in the shade.

01:34The Met Office is saying it's going to be a very high on the UV index this weekend.

01:37I don't particularly know the science behind those things, but I very rarely see it as

01:41a very high.

01:42It means that even if you've got sunscreen on, it's a really good idea to stay out of the

01:45sun and stay in the shade between the hours of 11 and 3 this Saturday.

01:49Take it seriously and stay out of the sun during those hours.

01:53Speaking of which, number three, wear sun cream.

01:55Yeah, you heard what I just said about the UV index.

01:57It doesn't stop there.

01:58You really need to look after your skin with protection as well.

02:00Please don't go outside or go wild swimming and not think to top up your skincare.

02:05I took a train to E-Dale recently and I decided to top up my sunscreen just while I was sat

02:11there.

02:12And it takes two minutes.

02:13I know it seems like a big block on your day and you're trying to have fun and you have

02:16to do this maintenance, but it's the easiest thing in the world.

02:19Encourage your family to do it.

02:21Make sure you look after yourself.

02:22It's the thing keeping you from developing skin burns and then that can have all sorts

02:27of consequences later in life.

02:28This is common knowledge.

02:29Look after yourself.

02:30Put on sun cream.

02:31Number four, dress smart.

02:32I'm quite enjoying this actually.

02:34I got these sunglasses just recently.

02:36They clip onto my regular ones so now they're prescription and that's something I'm enjoying

02:39right now.

02:40But I don't want to say I'm setting an example here, but look at this.

02:43Loose.

02:44Loose fitting clothing.

02:45Hat.

02:46Sunglasses.

02:47I'd be wearing shorts if I wasn't at a work day right now and I'd be wearing sun cream

02:50as well.

02:51Wear loose, breathable clothing.

02:53Don't wrap yourself up too harsh and be prepared to take off layers as the day goes

02:57on.

02:58Just make sure you can maintain your temperature that way.

03:00It's a really simple tip to take.

03:02Number five, know the signs of heat stroke.

03:04Watch out for the signs of heat stroke in both yourself and your friends and family.

03:07It's sort of marked by a complete weariness over.

03:11It's usually marked with a shaking, a loss of speech, a visible confusion.

03:16These are the signs that somebody has spent far too long in the heat and sun.

03:19They need water and they need to be in the shade as soon as possible.

03:22If it advances to a state, they do need to go to the hospital at that point.

03:25Please look after your friends and family.

03:27If they've not taken care of themselves or they've taken all the steps and they're still

03:29starting to show signs of exhaustion and ill health, take it seriously.

03:34Stop what you're doing.

03:35See how they are and see if they need help.

03:38Finally number six, plan ahead.

03:39I think when they mean plan ahead they're talking more about checking the forecast and making

03:43you sure you've brought a lot with you.

03:45Have you checked the forecast for this weekend?

03:46Do you know when it's going to be the hottest?

03:48Do you have plans that include you being outside at 3pm when the UV index is very high and the

03:53temperature is 33 degrees?

03:55Are you taking a backpack with you with litres and litres of water if you bought sun's cream?

03:59Do you know where you're going to be at each hour of the day?

04:00Are you going to get caught out bad?

04:02Are you walking through the peaks in the middle of nowhere and might have the sun beating down

04:05on you for four hours straight without preparation?

04:08If you've got plans this weekend, take a moment to look at the forecast and see where you're

04:11going to be at what times of the day and make sure you've got preparations ahead of time.

04:15It's only like 27 degrees out here today and it's already starting to beat down on me but

04:21this is like my, I don't know, 20th take trying to do this video.

04:24It's okay, let's move on.

04:25I know it seems like maybe baby talk and I'm saying things you might have heard a bunch of

04:28times before but it's a very hot weekend coming for Sheffield and it does pose a danger even

04:33if there is no official health and safety warning out there by the UK government so far.

04:38Get your water on board, get your sunscreen on, look after one another as you're out and

04:42plan for your day to make sure that you're not out in the beating sun during the hottest

04:46part of the day between 11 and 3pm.

04:48Keep with these tips.

04:49Hope you have a nice summer weekend and make the most of it while you can.

04:52.

04:56.

05:02.

05:05.

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