Heat Stress
Heat doesn't announce itself. The guy who's 'fine' at 10 a.m. is dizzy at 1 and in real trouble by 2 — and by then his judgment went first, which is why he didn't stop.
How to run it
Read it through once, then talk it — don't recite it. Five minutes at the start of the shift, crew standing where the work happens. Under O. Reg. 213/91, s. 14(3)–(4), the talk is held by a supervisor or a competent person the supervisor appoints — and the sign-in sheet is what proves it happened.
Talk through these points
- Know the ladder of symptoms: cramps, then exhaustion — heavy sweating, weakness, nausea — then heat stroke, where sweating can STOP. Heat stroke is a 911 call, not a break in the shade.
- Water before thirst. Small amounts, steadily, all day. Thirst means you're already behind.
- Schedule the heavy work out of the peak heat where the job allows. The pour can start an hour earlier.
- Shade and rest cycles are production tools, not favours. A crew that cooks in the sun slows down more than the breaks cost.
- New and returning workers acclimatize over days — the first week back in the heat is the dangerous one.
- Watch each other. The person suffering heat stress is the worst judge of their own condition.
Ask the crew
- Where's the water station today, and who refills it?
- What's the humidex supposed to hit this afternoon?
- Who's new enough this week that they're not acclimatized yet?
The answers are the real talk. If a question lands on a live hazard, write it down and assign it a name and a date.
Paper it
A talk without a record didn't happen, as far as anyone who asks is concerned. Print these free:
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