Extreme heat comes with risks for workers, vulnerable people

Canada's western and eastern coasts are both experiencing heat waves this week, with temperatures reaching up to 40 C in some places, and experts are warning about the health risks associated with high temperatures, especially for people who are exposed to the heat for work.

Environment Canada has issued heat warnings for several regions in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Maritime provinces, and are reminding Canadians that our health can be impacted by extreme heat.

"Environment Canada and local Medical Health Officers expect an increase in health and safety risks from heat and are advising the public to take precautions," the B.C. warnings read.

Dr. Raj Bhardwaj, a Calgary-based physician and CBC health columnist, says our bodies are always creating heat, but the air outside often helps keep us cool.

"Our bodies are very finely tuned to operate within a specific temperature range of a few degrees," he told CBC's Daybreak Kamloops host Shelley Joyce.

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Humans have biological mechanisms to help keep our bodies within that temperature range, such as sweating, he said.

However, some people aren't able to produce sweat as effectively: babies, pregnant people, the elderly, and people on some medications, to name a few, Bhardwaj said.

Those medications can include, but are not limited to, antihistamines, anti-inflammatories, heart medications, thyroid medications, ADHD medications and antidepressants.

"The list of medications that change or can change how your body deals with heat is an impressively long list," Bhardwaj said.

To combat overheating, which can lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke, Bhardwaj suggests staying out of heat and humidity, and trying to find shade or a cool, air-conditioned environment.

People can also apply a cold, wet cloth to their neck, armpits and groin to cool down. And drinking fluids, he said, are important to help us create sweat.

In a media release issued last week, the province suggested identifying cooler areas of your home and neighbourhood, keeping windows and curtains closed to prevent heat from getting inside, and reiterated the importance of hydration and the use of cold, damp cloths.

An extreme heat tool has been created by the province to help British Columbians understand and be prepared for extended periods of hot weather.

Working in extreme heat

WorkSafeBC director Barry Nakahara said people with jobs that require prolonged exertion, such as those whowork in hot environments like kitchens and those who work outdoors for long periods like construction workers, are particularly vulnerable to heat and sun.

The most important consideration for workers in this kind of heat, he said, is to plan ahead and be prepared.

"Now it's getting a little late in the game, but hopefully people have been thinking about it over the past few weeks and getting prepared for these conditions that we're now working in," he said.

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According to WorkSafeBC, employers should determine whether work is actually necessary when it's particularly hot outside. Workers should work in pairs or groups, and cooling areas with shade and water should be established, it said.

Nakahara said that while employers are responsible for making sure workers are safe on the job, employees need to be proactive and make sure they have sunscreen, are dressed appropriately and are properly hydrated.

Workers are entitled to tell employers they can't work in extreme heat, he added.

"At that point they should be bringing those concerns to their employers to see if there are solutions that have not been considered," Nakahara said. "If that's not the case, then they have the right to refuse and you can bring it forward as an unsafe work condition."