Top 10 Effective Tips to Prevent Heat Stress in the Workplace
Introduction to Heat Stress Prevention
Heat stress occurs when your body’s cooling system is overwhelmed by hot environments, a common challenge in workplaces with extreme temperatures, and during the summer heat. The human body typically regulates its internal temperature, but this control mechanism can be overwhelmed under extreme conditions. When combined with physical labour, dehydration, fatigue, age, or a pre-existing medical condition, heat stress can lead to serious heat-related illnesses, injuries, and even fatalities.
Workers most at risk include those employed in bakeries, restaurants, laundries, mines, smelters, and foundries, where temperatures can rise to extreme levels, particularly during the summer. Outdoor workers, such as roofers, road crews, and surface miners, are also susceptible to heat stress during the summer. It is important to note that every 1-degree Celsius increase in temperature, is associated with a 28 to 51 percent increase in the number of heat illness claims by workplace insurance companies such as the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). The data shows that heat stress is a significant occupational hazard.
Understanding the Importance of Heat Stress Prevention
Illnesses caused by heat stress can be life-threatening. According to a report by the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program, between April 1, 2011, and January 12, 2023, there were 734 sun and heat-related cases reported. Moving beyond Canada, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that between 2000 and 2019, 489,000 heat-related deaths occurred each year. Employers must take every reasonable precaution to protect employees by prioritizing all hazards. By highlighting heat stress illness prevention, organizations can enhance worker productivity while minimizing the potential for heat-induced injuries and illnesses.
The first step in managing heat stress in the workplace is to complete a hazard assessment. The employer will identify heat hazards and assess the risk factors for heat stress, including identifying the most vulnerable workers based on their job duties, work environment, and individual health conditions. What follows are control measures based on the hierarchy of controls. These control measures will be evaluated throughout their implementation. They may need to be adjusted based on employer-specific circumstances in the workplace.
Tip 1: Monitor Weather Conditions
By regularly monitoring local weather forecasts, employers can anticipate temperature extremes, heat waves, and other weather conditions that might impact worker health. Monitoring forecasts gives employers time to alter work schedules to avoid the hottest parts of the day. Additionally, they can help guide decisions on implementing protective measures, such as providing shaded areas or temporary cooling stations. While forecasts are getting more reliable, weather is still unpredictable, increasingly so with climate change. Employers should watch for special weather alerts and adjust plans if weather conditions become unsafe. Ensure you also monitor the humidity levels outside. If it is too humid, the human body has difficulty reducing heat through sweating.
Tip 2: Use Fans and Air Conditioning
Portable cooling solutions, such as fans and air conditioning (AC), enhance airflow and help evaporate sweat, which reduces the body’s heat burden and improves comfort. Strategically placed fans can also assist in circulating cool air throughout the workspace, preventing hot spots. Air conditioning systems are particularly effective in controlling indoor temperatures and humidity levels, creating a consistently cool environment that mitigates the risk of heat stress. We recommend fans and air conditioning be used together to promote optimal working conditions.
Tip 3: Use Shade and Cooling Areas
Shaded areas, such as tents, canopies, or permanent structures, provide workers with spots to escape direct sunlight and lower their body temperature. Cooling areas should be close to work zones to encourage their use during breaks. Enhance your cooling areas with fans, misters, or portable air conditioning units to provide a more significant cooling effect.
Tip 4: Implement a Heat Stress Prevention Plan
An important step to ensuring that your employees do not fall victim to heat stress is to have a workplace-specific heat stress prevention plan. Once completed, the prevention plan should outline protocols relating to hydration, administrative controls (extra breaks or a running, cooling vehicle parked close by), and personal protective equipment (PPE). Training processes should teach employees how to identify and respond to symptoms of heat stress. Employers can also promote the buddy system to encourage employees to watch out for each other. While our primary goal is prevention, it is essential to include emergency protocols in the plan in case all preventive measures fail.
Tip 5: Adjust Work Schedules
Employers can adjust schedules to prevent workers from being exposed to peak heat between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. These adjustments can include physically demanding elements of the job being completed in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid exposing workers to heavy work during the hottest parts of the day. Further adjustments can include rotating workers in and out of hot environments and implementing more frequent break periods, preferably in a cooling area.
Tip 6: Educate Employees on Heat Stress
Employees and supervisors alike need to be educated on the signs and symptoms of heat stress to identify and treat it. This education can occur through regular training sessions. In these sessions, employers can review heat stress protocols, and supervisors can be equipped with tools needed for implementing preventative measures and monitoring worker health. Resources, such as pamphlets, posters, and signs, are also beneficial educational tools to share widely across worksites.
As the body ages, its sweat glands become less efficient. Workers over the age of 40 may have trouble with hot environments. Acclimatization to heat and physical fitness can offset some age-related problems. Encourage recognition of risk factors, danger signs, and symptoms and awareness of first-aid procedures and potential health effects of heat illnesses.
Tip 7: Encourage Healthy Practices
Encouraging healthy practices is necessary to ensure workers understand the risks posed by heat stress and how to prevent it. Employers can ensure practices are widely shared and understood across all levels of the company. Employers should also encourage workers to come forward with questions, concerns, or hazards they have witnessed about heat stress.
When working in hot conditions, it is helpful to eat light meals frequently to ensure you maintain your energy levels while refraining from causing discomfort or stomach aches. Good options include foods high in nutrients and with a high water concentration. Eating fruits and vegetables with high water content can help satisfy nutrient recommendations and keep you hydrated. If you don’t drink the recommended amount of water in a day, fruits and vegetables can provide you with supplemental fluid, keeping you nourished and healthy. Water-rich fruits and vegetables are popular choices for juicing, smoothies, and snacking.
Tip 8: Take Regular Breaks
Scheduling breaks to prevent overheating is crucial for maintaining worker health and safety in high-temperature environments. To effectively implement this, employers should plan regular, short breaks throughout the workday, particularly during peak heat periods, typically between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Breaks should be scheduled every hour, with more frequent breaks, such as every 15-20 minutes, during hot conditions or when performing strenuous activities. During these breaks, workers should rest in shaded, cool, or air-conditioned areas to allow their bodies to cool down.
Tip 9: Stay Hydrated
Water intake can help prevent heat stress as adequate hydration helps regulate body temperature, allowing the body to sweat and cool down effectively. When hydrated, workers are less likely to experience dehydration, which impairs cognitive and physical performance and leads to heat stress. Employers should ensure that workers have easy access to fresh drinking water and encourage frequent consumption, particularly during strenuous activities or in hot conditions. Best practices for water intake include drinking around 8 ounces every 15-20 minutes. Proper hydration can be promoted by implementing hydration breaks, especially during peak heat periods.
On hot jobs lasting longer than 2 hours, where prolonged sweating can lead to excessive salt loss, many recommend electrolyte-containing beverages such as sports drinks. However, we caution against consuming sports drinks with too much sugar or caffeine. When it comes to rehydrating, water is best. We recommend setting timers to prevent employees from losing track of time and spending too much time in the heat without water. For example, each time you finish a bottle of water, you set a timer for 20 minutes to remind yourself to get a refill.
Tip 10: Wear Appropriate Clothing
In hot, humid workplaces, clothing should be loose fitting and light in weight and colour as these garments absorb less heat from the sun. Certain fabrics, such as cotton, are better for hot temperatures, as they allow air to circulate and perspiration to evaporate. Employees can wear wide-brimmed hats and UV-protective clothing for additional protection from the sun. Employers can also provide cooling vests to maintain or lower body temperature. Some brands are presoaked in water, and some have cooling gels. Choose whichever seems right for your work crew.
Another important aspect of heat safety includes preventing extensive sun exposure and sunburn. Sunburn can be prevented by applying sunscreen to your face, ears, neck, arms, and any other visible skin. Refer to the instructions on the sunscreen label to determine how often you need to reapply.
In conclusion, heat stress prevention is critical for workplace safety, particularly in environments where high temperatures are prevalent. While we cannot always control the factors that bring on extreme heat (e.g., UV rays or furnaces), we can control how we mitigate the risk by fostering a culture of workplace safety. By implementing the ten strategies for preventing heat stress mentioned above, employers can significantly reduce the risk of heat-related illnesses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Heat Stress?
The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development (MLITSD) website states that heat stress occurs when working or playing where it is hot and puts stress on your body’s cooling system. When heat is combined with other stresses such as hard physical work, loss of fluids, fatigue or some pre-existing medical conditions, it may lead to heat-related illness, disability and even death.
Are my workers at risk of heat stress?
Workers may be exposed to heat stress in workplaces where there are temperature extremes. There are certain occupations that are considered high-risk for being exposed to heat stress. These occupations include those employed in bakeries, restaurants, laundries, mines, smelters, and foundries, where temperatures can rise to extreme levels, particularly in the summer months. Outdoor workers, such as roofers, road crews and surface miners are also susceptible to heat stress during the summer.
