(Photo: facebook) Dave Osborn, dave.osborn@naplesnews.com; 239-263-4896 9:10 p.m. EDT August 16, 2016
A North Naples construction worker died from an apparent heat stroke Monday afternoon, authorities said.
Luke K. Sannicandro, 37, of Naples Park was working on the roof of a house along East Avenue north of Pine Ridge Road about 4 p.m. Monday when he said he felt sick from the heat, Collier County deputies reported Tuesday. The temperature at the time was above 90 degrees.
Sannicandro was told to come down from the roof and rest until he felt better. He sat on a pile of debris for a short time as others continued to work.
When the workers returned to the ground about a half-hour later, they did not see Sannicandro.
A worker went into the first floor of the house and yelled Sannicandro's name when he found him on the ground shaking slightly.
The men called 911 and attempted CPR until paramedics arrived.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety & Health Administration is investigating Sannicandro's death, a spokesman said Tuesday evening.
Andy Perez, 40, of Naples said he has known Sannicandro and his family for years. Before construction work, Sannicandro was a barber, Perez said.
“Luke was a very spirited young guy,” Perez said. “He was different than any other person I could describe. He had a passion for music. He loved his hip-hop, but it was a different thing. He was into hip-hop’s roots, the message it used to send, the positivity.”
Perez said he kept in touch with Sannicandro through social media and had run into him a few times in town.
Sannicandro’s older sister, Leah, died a few years ago, so this is another tragedy for the family, Perez said.
He said he is friends with Jude Sannicandro, Luke’s brother.
“It’s really sad,” Perez said. “He buried an older sister, and now he’s burying an older brother.”
Luke also was raising his daughter, whom he took to school Monday.
Perez referred to Sannicandro as a spiritual guy.
“He wasn’t an in-your-face, repent kind of guy,” Perez said. “He was aware of everything going on around him. He wasn’t a very spiteful person.”
“He expressed to me that only God could judge him,” Perez added. “It was his salvation. He had S-A-L-V-A-T-I-O-N tattooed across his back.”
Friday, July 1, 2016
How to Recognize Exertional Heatstroke
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We thought
we were on top of matters when it came to heat illness prevention—in
particular, we thought we knew how to recognize the most serious type of heat
illness, heatstroke. And then the Deepwater Horizon disaster occurred, and
thousands of workers were cleaning up the mess in the heat of a Gulf shore
summer—and we found out just how wrong we were.
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Researchers
at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) learned
some important lessons about heat illness from the Deepwater Horizon
disaster. As a result, the agency has updated its Criteria for a Recommended Standard:
Occupational Exposure to Heat and Hot Environments for the
first time since 1986.
Here’s
what’s new in our understanding of heat illness.
Two Types of Heatstroke
The most
significant change to the NIOSH document is a change in the definition of
“heatstroke.” At one time, the accepted definition of “heatstroke” included
confusion, unconsciousness, and/or convulsions, accompanied by a lack of
sweating. In fact, workers were warned that if they stopped sweating,
heatstroke was imminent.
Unfortunately,
this type of heatstroke, now called “classic heatstroke,” isn’t the type that
most commonly strikes workers.
NIOSH has
recognized that another type of heatstroke, known as “exertional heatstroke,”
is more common in workers—and profuse sweating is one of its symptoms. So
workers who have been taught that sweating is a positive sign are actually at
increased risk.
Exertional
heatstroke is caused by the combination of heat exposure and heavy physical
exertion. It can lead to a condition called rhabdomyolysis, in which muscle
tissue breaks down, releasing large amounts of potassium into the blood. High
levels of potassium in the blood can lead to cardiac arrhythmias and
seizures. High levels of proteins released by muscle breakdown can cause
temporary or permanent kidney damage.
Symptoms of rhabdomyolysis include:
- Muscle pain and cramping
- Swelling
- Weakness
- Decreased range of motion
- Fatigue
- Abdominal pain
- Back pain
- Nausea or vomiting
- Confusion
However,
many cases occur with very mild symptoms that are mistaken for heat stress.
This creates a potentially dangerous situation because these workers don’t
receive the intensive medical intervention they require.
Another
potential complication of rhabdomyolysis is compartment syndrome, or swelling
in a specific type of muscle, usually in the lower extremities, that blocks
blood flow. Compartment syndrome is often delayed—it may take several hours
to develop—and can lead to permanent loss of function in the affected limb.
Symptoms of compartment syndrome include the
“5 P’s”:
- Pain
- Pallor
- Pulselessness
- Paresthesia (sensation of tingling, numbness, or burning, usually felt in the hands, feet, arms, or legs)
- Paralysis
Pain is
the most common and tends to be extremely severe. Workers who experience
these symptoms must go to a hospital immediately. Quick surgical intervention
is required to treat compartment syndrome.
Both
types of heatstroke are accompanied by extremely high body temperature, and
both types are a medical emergency that require immediate medical attention.
First aid includes cooling the worker as quickly as possible by any means
available, including an ice bath, circulating air around the worker, and
placing cold packs on the head, neck, armpits, and groin.
For
exertional heatstroke, oral hydration is vital—the more the victim drinks,
the more potassium and proteins will be flushed from the body. However, in
serious cases, it’s impossible for the victim to drink enough fluids to flush
out the proteins and potassium; the victim will need intravenous fluids.
Emergency medical services should be summoned immediately for all cases of
heatstroke, and victims should be transported to a hospital as soon as
possible.
A Warning from NIOSH
Because
exertional heatstroke is more likely to occur in workers than classic
heatstroke, NIOSH recommends that all workers exposed to hot working
conditions be retrained to recognize exertional heatstroke.