Environmental heat is a recognized hazard, and thousands of workers are affected by heat illness each year. Workers have the right to receive information and training about hazards and their prevention, and employers are responsible for providing the information and training workers need to prevent heat-related hazards.
Heat illness prevention training should include the health effects of heat, how and when to respond to symptoms, and how to prevent heat-related illness from occurring. The OSHA Heat Illness Prevention Training Guide, available in English and en español, includes information in short, interactive lesson plans that can be delivered in tailgate or toolbox talks.
OSHA’s Protecting Workers from the Effects of Heat Fact Sheet provides information to employers on measures they should take to prevent worker illnesses and death caused by heat stress. OSHA has also created illustrated, low-literacy fact sheets for Construction and Agriculture in English and en español and for Oil & Gas and Construction in English and en español.
For more comprehensive heat illness prevention information and training materials, visit OSHA’s Educational Resources and Occupational Heat Exposure webpages.