High temperatures can create serious workplace hazards, especially when employees perform physical work, wear protective equipment, work near heat-producing machinery, or spend long periods outside.
Construction crews, landscapers, delivery drivers, warehouse employees, restaurant staff, agricultural workers, maintenance teams, and manufacturing employees may face increased heat exposure. However, heat-related risks are not limited to outdoor workplaces. Kitchens, warehouses, factories, laundry facilities, mechanical rooms, and buildings without adequate cooling can also become dangerously warm.
Heat stress can contribute to heat exhaustion, heat stroke, dehydration, cramps, fatigue, dizziness, and reduced concentration. It can also increase the likelihood of falls, vehicle accidents, equipment mistakes, and other injuries when an employee becomes tired or disoriented.
Create a Heat Safety Plan
Businesses should have a written plan for managing heat-related risks before temperatures begin to rise. The plan should reflect the type of work employees perform, the work environment, required protective equipment, and the availability of shade or air conditioning.
A heat safety plan may address:
- Who is responsible for monitoring weather and workplace conditions
- When additional rest breaks should be provided
- Where employees can cool down
- How drinking water will be supplied
- How workloads or schedules may be adjusted
- How employees will report symptoms
- What steps should be followed during an emergency
- How new and returning employees will gradually adjust to hot conditions
Managers and supervisors should understand the plan and have the authority to slow or stop work when conditions become unsafe.
Provide Water and Encourage Hydration
Employees should have convenient access to cool drinking water throughout the workday. Workers should be encouraged to drink regularly rather than waiting until they feel thirsty.
For longer periods of strenuous work, employers may also consider access to beverages containing electrolytes. Alcohol, excessive caffeine, and high-sugar drinks may contribute to dehydration and should not replace water.
Water stations should be easy to reach. Employees may be less likely to hydrate adequately when getting water requires leaving the work area, removing extensive safety equipment, or waiting for scheduled breaks. OSHA emphasizes frequent water consumption as a central part of heat illness prevention.
Schedule Rest Breaks in Cooler Areas
Rest breaks give the body time to recover from heat exposure. Break areas should be shaded, ventilated, air-conditioned, or otherwise cooler than the primary work area.
The frequency and length of breaks may need to increase as temperatures, humidity, physical demands, or required protective equipment increase. A schedule that is appropriate early in the morning may not be appropriate during the hottest part of the afternoon.
Supervisors should also avoid creating a workplace culture in which employees feel pressured to skip breaks or continue working when they feel unwell. OSHA identifies water, rest, and shade or another cool recovery area as fundamental heat safety measures.
Adjust Work Schedules When Possible
Businesses may be able to reduce heat exposure by scheduling demanding tasks during cooler parts of the day. Outdoor work may be moved to early morning hours, while less strenuous tasks may be reserved for the afternoon.
Other adjustments may include:
- Rotating employees between hot and cooler work areas
- Reducing the pace of physically demanding work
- Using mechanical equipment to limit manual labor
- Increasing the number of employees assigned to a task
- Rescheduling nonessential work during extreme heat
- Providing temporary ventilation, fans, or portable cooling equipment
Employers should remember that fans may not be sufficient in every environment, especially when temperatures are extremely high or humidity limits the body's ability to cool through sweating.
Allow Employees to Acclimatize
Employees need time to adjust when they begin working in hot conditions. This process is known as acclimatization.
New employees, temporary workers, and employees returning after an extended absence may be particularly vulnerable. Workers may also lose some heat tolerance after vacations, illnesses, or extended periods away from hot work.
Employers can help by gradually increasing workloads, providing additional breaks, monitoring employees closely, and avoiding assigning new workers to the most demanding tasks during their first days in the heat. NIOSH advises closely supervising new employees during their initial acclimatization period.
Train Employees and Supervisors
Heat safety training should be provided before employees are exposed to high temperatures. Training should explain workplace risks, prevention procedures, common symptoms, and how to respond when someone becomes ill.
Employees should understand that heat illness can develop quickly. They should be encouraged to report symptoms immediately without fear of criticism or discipline.
Supervisors should know how to recognize behavioral changes that may indicate a serious problem. Confusion, unusual behavior, poor coordination, slurred speech, fainting, or loss of consciousness may be signs of a medical emergency.
Training should also address employees who work alone, drive company vehicles, operate machinery, work on ladders, or perform tasks where dizziness and reduced concentration could create additional hazards.
Use a Buddy System
Employees may not always recognize their own symptoms. A worker experiencing heat illness may become confused or make poor decisions about whether to continue working.
A buddy system encourages employees to watch one another for symptoms such as:
- Heavy sweating
- Headache
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Weakness
- Muscle cramps
- Irritability
- Confusion
- Difficulty walking or maintaining balance
Employees should know who to contact and what actions to take when a co-worker shows signs of heat illness.
Prepare for Heat Emergencies
Businesses should have clear emergency procedures and ensure that supervisors know how to activate them. Emergency contact information, the worksite address, access instructions, and the location of first-aid supplies should be readily available.
An employee showing signs of heat illness should be moved to a cooler area and should not be left alone. Outer clothing or heavy protective equipment may need to be removed when it is safe to do so.
Heat stroke is a medical emergency. Symptoms may include confusion, loss of consciousness, seizures, unusual behavior, or an inability to communicate normally. Emergency medical assistance should be requested immediately while the worker is actively cooled. OSHA advises calling 911 when heat stroke is suspected and beginning rapid cooling while help is on the way.
Do Not Overlook Indoor Heat
Employers sometimes associate heat safety only with outdoor work. Indoor temperatures can also become hazardous when cooling systems fail, ventilation is limited, or employees work near ovens, furnaces, boilers, dryers, engines, or other heat-producing equipment.
Businesses should evaluate indoor temperature, humidity, airflow, radiant heat, physical workload, and required clothing. Vehicle interiors, loading areas, storage trailers, and temporary structures can also become dangerously hot.
Routine maintenance of ventilation and cooling equipment can help reduce the chance of an unexpected failure during hot weather.
Review State and Local Requirements
Heat safety requirements may vary by location and industry. Some states have workplace heat standards or additional requirements involving water, shade, training, written plans, temperature thresholds, and emergency procedures.
Federal OSHA has also continued its rulemaking and enforcement efforts involving indoor and outdoor heat exposure. Businesses should review the requirements that apply to their operations rather than relying on a single policy for every worksite.
Review Incidents and Near Misses
Any heat-related incident should be documented and reviewed. Businesses should look beyond the immediate symptoms and consider whether workplace conditions contributed to the event.
Questions may include:
- Was drinking water readily available?
- Were employees taking adequate breaks?
- Was the employee new or recently returned to work?
- Was the workload appropriate for the conditions?
- Did the employee receive heat safety training?
- Did supervisors recognize and respond to the symptoms?
- Could scheduling or equipment changes help prevent another incident?
Near misses should also be taken seriously. An employee who becomes dizzy while driving, nearly falls from a ladder, or makes an equipment error may be providing an early warning that workplace controls need to be improved.
Review Your Commercial Insurance Program
Workplace heat incidents can affect more than employee health. They may result in claims, vehicle accidents, damaged equipment, interrupted operations, or liability concerns involving customers and other members of the public.
Business owners should keep their insurance agent informed when operations change, employees begin performing new tasks, additional vehicles or equipment are added, or work expands into hotter environments.
An insurance agent at Strachan Novak Insurance Services can help you review your commercial insurance program, compare available options, and better understand how different policies may respond to workplace risks. Contact Strachan Novak Insurance Services to discuss your business and its changing insurance needs.