Heat stress is a serious threat to workers. It occurs when the body is unable to get rid of excess heat, which causes the heart rate and core body temperature to increase, often leading to heat-related illness. The tools in this Heat Stress Toolkit will help you understand the heat conditions in your workplace, assess the risk of heat stress and take action to protect yourself or your workers.
Our weather is very unpredictable and with climate change it is only going to get worse. It is important to understand the signs and symptoms of heat-related illness and to know how to respond should an emergency situation arise.
The following resources have been developed to promote the dangers of working in heat, and to guide you in creation of your own heat stress emergency response plan.
OCCUPATIONAL and ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SEMINAR
Presented by the Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC)
Friday, March 22, 2024
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm EDT
SPEAKER
ANDRE GAUVIN
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH CLINICS FOR ONTARIO WORKERS (OHCOW)
Promote awareness of the hazards of working in the heat using these engaging and educational videos.
Updated for use in both indoor and outdoor situations!
This web-based tool uses temperature and humidity as well as other factors like:
...to calculate estimated heat stress.
The tool provides three methods of calculation based on the information you have available.
Based on the results, the tool then provides a response plan with control methods to protect workers, which can be downloaded and printed for sharing in the workplace.
Also available as a PDF...the original Humidex-based Heat Response Plan provides a 5-step process to recognize, assess and control heat exposures, as well as a description of heat-related health effects and response recommendations. Three PDF versions are available, depending on the information you need:
Download these reference guides to learn more about the technical aspects of dealing with heat stress in the workplace.
Promote awareness of the hazards of working in the heat using these highly visible and informative posters.
Download and share these infographics to help prevent heat stress in yourself and your co-workers.
A 2-page infographic covering the criteria used in assessing specific jobs for the risk of heat stress. From rest and light work, to moderate, heavy and very heavy, we cover the metabolic rates associated with each category and provide examples of the types of work that would fall under each category.
There are many symptoms that can be associated with heat illness and many of these symptoms can also be attributed to other conditions. There are also many conditions that make some workers more susceptible to heat-related issues than others. It is important to know the difference and act accordingly should the need arise.
There are many warning signs to indicate when your body is getting too hot. Heat illness is serious and gets worse quickly. These warning signs should never be ignored. Learn more about the warning signs and watch for them in yourself and others while working in the heat.
The effects of heat illness may seem short term but the truth is heat illness can have both short- and long-term effects on your entire body. And these effects can be serious and life-threatening. What starts out as just a heat rash can lead to heart and brain damage, kidney failure, fertility issues, and a host of other issues in the future. Never take heat stress lightly.
Concerned about heat stress at work? Have you ever experienced symptoms like a skin rash, or light-headedness, or nausea or vomit during/after working in the heat. If so, you may need to consider exercising your rights to a healthy and safe working environment and the tips on the infographic can help you get started.
An action plan to protect workers, this four page infographic outlines the steps you should follow to obtain an accurate heat stress reading. A detailed response plan in included along with some general controls for all workers and specific controls for certain workers.
The following additional resources related to heat stress have been developed by OHCOW and our partners:
WEBINAR [08-18-23]• Learn about the occupational risks of heat stroke and other illnesses and how to prevent them.
JUNE 2023 • A four page infographic covering the signs and symptoms of heat stress in outdoor workers as well as ideas for action, and tips for prevention when working outdoors.
JUNE 2023 • A four page infographic aimed at temporary and foreign greenhouse workers outlining the dangers of heat stress and its related illnesses.
WEBINAR [02-JN-22] • André Gauvin, Occupational Hygienist, Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW)
WEBINAR [02-JN-22] • Keith Birnie, Ventilation Specialist, Workplace Safety North (WSN)
Dr. Sandra Dorman, Full professor/Director, Centre for Research in Occupational Safety & Health (CROSH)
André Gauvin, Occupational Hygienist,Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW)
POSTER • 2022 – A poster outlining the risks of working in hot / humid environments including recommendations for actions to prevent injury / illness.
REFERENCE GUIDE • Information and advice on managing and controlling heat stress in the workplace.
TOOL • This cardboard wheel tool helps with calculation of humidex and provides tips for outdoor workers appropriate to the humidex level.
The following list of third party resources is provided for your additional reference:
Workplace Safety North (WSN)
Heat Stress Resources
Mine Rescue Heat Stress Report
Workplace Safety and Prevention Services
Heat Stress Resources
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)
Heat Stress Resources
Hot Environments: Control Measures
Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training, Skills and Development (MLITSD)
Heat Stress Resources
National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health
Health Checks During Extreme Heat Events
UNIFOR
Heat Stress Fact Sheet
Ontario Cancer Research Centre (OCRC)
UV Risk Assessment Technical Guide
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Heat Stress Resources
WorkSafeBC
Heat Stress Resources
Preventing Heat Stress at Work
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Heat Stress Resources
National Centre for Environmental Health
Keep Your Cool in Hot Weather
Public Services Health and Safety Association (PSHSA)
Heat Stress Resources
Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA)
Heat Stress Resources
Heat Stress FAQs
The Hazards of Heat Stress
Workers Health and Safety Centre (WHSC)
Heat Stress Resources
OHCOW is pleased to have partnered with CROSH • CRSST in the updating and preparing of all these new resources.
Have questions/comments about this toolkit?
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95% Confidence Interval (CI) is a range of values (upper and lower) that you can be 95% certain contains the true mean of the population.
Test, test, test
