Heat Illness Prevention

Water, rest, and shade, how to acclimatize new workers, and how to tell heat exhaustion from a heat stroke emergency before it turns fatal.

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Health & environment · General Duty Clause; many states have specific rules

Heat can kill a healthy worker, and many heat deaths happen in someone's first few days on the job, before their body has adjusted to the conditions. Concrete, asphalt, and steel radiate heat back at you, so a hot day on site is hotter than the number on the forecast. The good news is that heat illness is almost entirely preventable with water, rest, shade, and crews that watch out for each other.

Key hazards

• New or returning workers who are not acclimatized doing heavy work in full sun
• Skipping water and breaks because the crew is pushing to finish a pour or beat a deadline
• High humidity, direct sun, radiant heat off equipment, and dead air inside forms, tanks, and attics
• Heavy PPE like coveralls and respirators that trap body heat
• Missing the early signs, headache, cramps, heavy sweating, and dizziness, until someone collapses
• Energy drinks, alcohol the night before, and some medications that speed up dehydration

Safe practices

• Drink water before you feel thirsty. Aim for about one cup every 15 to 20 minutes in hot conditions, not a whole jug at once.
• Take rest breaks in shade or air conditioning, and take more of them as heat and workload climb.
• Acclimatize new and returning workers by ramping up their time in the heat gradually over the first one to two weeks.
• Schedule the heaviest work for the cooler parts of the day when the job allows.
• Use the buddy system. Watch each other for confusion, stumbling, or a coworker who has stopped sweating.
• Wear light colored, breathable clothing where the work allows, plus sunscreen and a brim on the hard hat if you have one.
• Learn the difference. Heat exhaustion looks like heavy sweating, weakness, nausea, and clammy skin. Heat stroke looks like confusion, slurred speech, hot skin, or collapse, and it is a 911 emergency.
• Tell your foreman if you are on medication or had a rough night. It changes your risk, and there is no shame in it.

Discussion questions

• Where are the water and shade on this site today, and are they close enough to actually get used?
• Who on the crew is new or just back from time off and still acclimatizing?
• What early signs of heat illness have you actually seen on a job, and what did you do about them?

If something goes wrong

• If a worker is confused, passes out, or has hot dry skin, treat it as heat stroke. Call 911, move them to shade, and cool them aggressively with water and ice while you wait.
• For milder symptoms, stop work, get the person to shade, loosen clothing, and give small sips of water. Do not leave them alone.
• Report every heat event to the foreman, even a near miss. It means the plan for water, shade, and pacing needs to change.

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