Overview
Heat exposure at work is a common occupational health risk in outdoor jobs and in indoor workplaces with high temperatures, humidity, or limited ventilation. The body normally cools itself by sweating and moving heat away from the skin, but this system can fail when the environment is too hot or work is too intense. Heat-related illness can range from mild heat rash or cramps to serious heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Key Symptoms
Early symptoms may include heavy sweating, strong thirst, tiredness, weakness, headache, dizziness, nausea, irritability, and muscle cramps. As heat illness worsens, a person may have vomiting, fainting, confusion, trouble concentrating, very fast heartbeat, or reduced sweating. Hot, altered mental status, collapse, or seizures are danger signs that may mean heat stroke.
Causes and Risk Factors
Heat exposure at work can happen during direct sun, high air temperature, high humidity, poor airflow, or contact with hot equipment and surfaces. Risk rises with heavy physical labor, tight or non-breathable protective clothing, dehydration, and not having enough time to adjust to hot conditions. Some health conditions and some medicines can also affect how the body handles heat, so workers may need medical advice about personal risk.
Who Is Affected
People who work outdoors, such as in agriculture, construction, delivery, and road work, often face heat exposure. It also affects indoor workers in kitchens, laundries, factories, foundries, boiler rooms, and other hot spaces. New workers, temporary workers, older adults, pregnant workers, and anyone returning after time away from hot work may be at higher risk.
Prevention
Prevention includes regular access to drinking water, rest breaks, shade or cooler areas, and work plans that reduce heavy labor during the hottest parts of the day. Gradually building up time in the heat over several days can help the body adapt. Employers and workers can also use buddy systems, training, ventilation, cooling methods, and emergency plans so warning signs are noticed early.
Diagnosis and Tests
Heat-related illness is often recognized from symptoms, recent work conditions, and signs such as high body temperature, dehydration, or changes in thinking and behavior. A healthcare professional may ask about the work setting, clothing, fluid intake, medical history, and when symptoms started. In more serious cases, tests may be used to check body temperature, kidney function, salts, and other complications.
Treatment Categories
Treatment depends on how severe the heat illness is. Mild cases may improve with stopping work, moving to a cooler place, loosening extra clothing, and drinking fluids if the person is awake and not vomiting. More serious illness may need urgent medical care, active cooling, monitoring, and treatment for dehydration or organ problems.
When to Seek Medical Care
Seek medical care the same day if symptoms such as dizziness, vomiting, weakness, severe cramps, headache, or fainting happen during or after working in the heat. Medical care is also important if symptoms do not improve quickly after resting in a cool place. People with heart disease, kidney disease, pregnancy, or other health concerns should ask a healthcare professional how heat may affect them at work.
When It May Be an Emergency
Get emergency help right away if a person becomes confused, has trouble speaking, faints, has a seizure, cannot drink, or seems very sleepy or hard to wake. Emergency care is also needed for signs of heat stroke, such as a very high body temperature, collapse, or major changes in mental status after heat exposure. While waiting for help, move the person to a cooler place and try to cool them with available methods such as shade, cool cloths, or fanning.