Toolbox Talk · ~5 minutes

# 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.

[Print the sign-in sheet](https://bluecraneworks.ca/tools?form=toolbox-talk-sign-in#form-library)
[All toolbox talks](https://bluecraneworks.ca/toolbox-talks.html)

## 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:

[Toolbox talk sign-in sheet](https://bluecraneworks.ca/tools?form=toolbox-talk-sign-in#form-library)
[Heat stress audit & action plan](https://bluecraneworks.ca/tools?form=heat-stress-audit#form-library)
[Toolbox talk sign-in](https://bluecraneworks.ca/tools?form=toolbox-talk-sign-in#form-library)

## A new talk every week.

The toolbox talks page rotates a featured topic weekly — bookmark it, or grab the talk by email every Monday.

[This week’s talk](https://bluecraneworks.ca/toolbox-talks.html)
[Next: Fall Protection Basics](https://bluecraneworks.ca/toolbox-talks/fall-protection-basics.html)

[Ladder Safety](https://bluecraneworks.ca/toolbox-talks/ladder-safety.html)
[All 126 contractor forms](https://bluecraneworks.ca/tools#form-library)

## Next, from Blue Crane

- [**Ontario heat stress policy**The written hot weather plan this talk sits under](https://bluecraneworks.ca/articles/ontario-construction-heat-stress-policy-hot-weather-plan)

- [**Field Level Hazard Assessment**The form the crew fills in before the work starts](https://bluecraneworks.ca/field-level-hazard-assessment-flha.html)

- [**Document Control Systems**Sign-offs, certs and safety records, provable in under a minute](https://bluecraneworks.ca/solutions/document-control.html)

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Source: https://bluecraneworks.ca/toolbox-talks/heat-stress