First Aid and Emergency Action Plan
Employees showing signs of heat illness must be closely monitored and never left alone or sent home without receiving on-site first aid or emergency medical care. Monitoring should include checking the employee’s heart rate. Avoid oral temperature measurements, as drinking cold water can give inaccurate readings.
If severe symptoms appear—such as loss of consciousness, staggering, vomiting, confusion, disorientation, irrational behavior, or convulsions—employers must immediately activate emergency response procedures.
Recovery Actions
When a worker exhibits heat illness symptoms, they must take a recovery break in a shaded or designated area. During this time:
- A supervisor should monitor the worker and ask about symptoms.
- The worker must remain in the shade and drink employer-provided fluids to rehydrate.
- To help lower body temperature:
- Remove or loosen heavy or tight clothing to improve airflow.
- Ensure good air circulation using fans or natural breezes.
Workers must not return to work until all symptoms have subsided and they have rested in a shaded area for at least 15 minutes.
- Severe heat illness (heat exhaustion or heat stroke) requires immediate emergency medical treatment as outlined in Modules 2.4 and 2.5.
- Heat cramps should be treated per Module 2.3.
- Non-life-threatening heat-related illnesses should be addressed using standard first aid procedures.