WorkSafeBC issued a reminder to employers Thursday to protect workers from the summer heat and sun exposure.
The province’s workers’ compensation agency says, with hot temperatures forecast across B.C., all workers are at risk.
“Elevated temperatures significantly raise the risk of heat stress and heat stroke, both of which can be severe and even life-threatening,” said Suzana Prpic, WorkSafeBC’s director of prevention field services.
But Prpic tells CityNews heat-related illnesses are preventable. The agency provided a list of choices employers can make to help workers beat the heat. They include:
- Ensure that workers are engaged in discussions about heat-related hazards at the start of each workday.
- Establish cooling areas with shade and water.
- Determine appropriate work-rest cycles; when a worker feels ill it may be too late.
- Rotate work activities or use additional workers to reduce exposure.
- Provide air conditioning or increased ventilation to remove hot air.
- Monitor heat conditions and require workers not to work alone.
- Ensure there is adequate first-aid coverage and emergency procedures are in place.
“Employers need to consider risk assessments that are specific to their workplace into the work being done, and discuss these with their teams,” said Prpic. “The plan needs to include specific controls, which will be put in place at the first sign of any concern.”
She says it’s especially important to discuss plans with new and young employees who may not know the risks.
WorkSafeBC says it accepted 49 claims related to heat stress injuries last year. The agency says the workers most at risk of heat exposure are those working outdoors on farms and construction sites, and indoors in restaurants, kitchens, and factories.
“We’d like that number to be zero. In previous years, with the heat dome, we experienced huge increases, and that was noted in both outdoor and in indoor work environments.”
WorkSafeBC’s website provides tools and resources on heat stress for workers and employers in multiple languages.
Prpic says the agency can investigate if workers report an unsafe environment and aren’t having their needs met by employers.
“If they’re not getting a satisfactory answer, they can always call WorkSafeBC. They have a right to refuse.”