How to Prevent Heat Stress and Protect Workers

While we may be thankful for warm weather where we can spend time soaking up the sun before it gets cold, it’s important to be wary of what the heat can do to our bodies, especially while working in high temperatures. This includes workers whose jobs involve working in the heat year-round, even in the winter months.

Do you know the risks of overexposure to heat and the signs of heat stress? High temperatures, physical labour, fatigue and/or preexisting medical conditions can be a dangerous combination that can stress the body’s cooling system. Detecting early signs and treating symptoms of heat stress can save lives.

What is heat stress?

Heat stress is the combined heat load on the body to which someone may be exposed from several sources including high temperature and humidity, poor physical condition, direct sun or radiant heat sources, certain medications, and more. While milder cases of heat stress cause your body to feel discomfort, there are serious implications as your body temperature rises, leading to heat-related illnesses like heat stroke.

As your body heats up, it tries to rid itself of excess heat through the evaporation of sweat. Eventually, the body’s cooling system will begin to shut down. The continued rise in temperature can lead to serious conditions like heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Early identification is essential. By taking steps early on, it may be possible to prevent escalation of symptoms.

Signs and symptoms of heat stress and heat-related illnesses

Remember that enhancing workers’ awareness of the signs and symptoms can prevent escalation.

Who is at risk of heat stress?

Everyone can be at risk of heat stress and every workplace must be aware of the risks and dangers, but some workers’ duties and roles may put them at an increased risk. This includes workers who have previously been affected by heat or heat stress, those working with or near equipment that produces heat, workers in direct sunlight, or workers who wear additional clothing or protective equipment like respirators or overalls.

Some jobs with an increased risk can include:

If you have workers that fit within the increased risks outlined above, you should be diligent when it comes to protecting them from heat exposure.

Prevention is key

While the answer that may make the most sense is to avoid the heat altogether, sometimes this isn’t possible. Here are a few steps you can take to reduce heat stress in the workplace, and prevent escalation:

For the worker:

• Allow for an acclimatization period
• Wear sunscreen
• Wear a hat when you can
• Keep a bottle of water handy to stay hydrated
• Take breaks often
• Avoid alcohol consumption the day before a shift

For the employer:

• Build heat stress awareness into your onboarding so workers know the signs and symptoms of heat stress, and how to treat them early
• Take into consideration the type of clothing workers are wearing and the impact of the heat
• Keep track of temperatures within your workplace. Divide the workplace into zones that have similar heat exposures
• Provide water. Workers should always keep a bottle of water handy and there should be a way for them to refill throughout the day
• Build in breaks. As the temperature rises, workers should take breaks often in a cool place away from the heat. Depending on how high the heat is, more breaks may be necessary. It’s important to keep track as the heat rises throughout the day
• Look at the humidex reading for the day. Environment Canada provides a humidex calculator so your workplace can take appropriate precautions for your workers during high temperatures

Under Section 25 (2)(h) and 27 (2)(c) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, employers must take every reasonable precaution in the circumstances to protect their workers, like creating policies and procedures to protect workers in hot environments.