Heat Stress Prevention

Heat illness gets worse fast if it's ignored, and it doesn't only happen outdoors in summer — a hot warehouse, a mechanical room, or heavy PPE can push someone into heat stress even on a mild day. The earliest symptoms are easy to dismiss as just being tired, which is exactly why they get missed.

Catching heat stress early, in yourself or a coworker, is almost always the difference between someone taking a break and someone needing emergency care.

Key points

• Drink water regularly throughout the shift — don't wait until you're thirsty.
• Take breaks in shade or a cooled area, especially during the hottest part of the day or during heavy physical work.
• Know the early symptoms: heavy sweating, headache, dizziness, or muscle cramps. Any of these means it's time to stop and cool down.
• Watch out for each other — someone experiencing heat illness may not recognize it in themselves.
• Acclimatize gradually to hot conditions or heavy PPE rather than pushing full effort on day one.
• If someone stops sweating, becomes confused, or loses consciousness, treat it as a medical emergency immediately — this is heat stroke.

Discussion questions

• Does everyone know where water and shaded or cooled break areas are on this job?
• Has anyone experienced early heat illness symptoms and pushed through instead of stopping?
• Do we have a plan for checking in on new workers who aren't yet acclimated to the heat here?