Heat Illness

Illustration of a car overheating

Be Heat Savvy!

  • by Teresa Andrews

En español 

Summer is here, and higher than average heat will be affecting our communities and outdoor workplaces. Here are some practical steps you can take to reduce your risk of heat illness.  

Drink water early and often

Just like you cannot go at high speed if your car is low on coolant, your body needs water to cope with high temperatures! 

Farmworkers take a lunch break in a shade structure

Cal/OSHA Reminds All Employers to Prevent Heat Illness

  • by California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR)
Cal/OSHA reminds all employers with outdoor workers to be prepared and take the necessary precautions to prevent heat illness as high temperatures continue throughout the state this week.
Farmworkers stand in line to get a drink of water from a cooler

Top 3 Ways to Stay Hydrated on a Hot Day

  • by Chelsea Eastman Langer, PhD, MPH
Your body needs a certain amount of water for your organs to work properly. If you don’t replace the water that you are releasing as sweat, your body will not function well.
A farmworker pauses to take a drink

Acclimatization: Getting Used to Working in the Heat

  • by Chelsea Eastman Langer, PhD, MPH
Heat-related illness poses a serious health risk to farmworkers, especially as their work season overlaps with hot summer temperatures. Workers are at higher risk of heat-related illness if they are not acclimated (or used to) the heat.
Farmworker harvests spinach under a cloudy sky

Extreme Weather Events

Over the past decade, California has become more prone to weather extremes, including increased frequency and severity of heat waves, droughts, and wildfires. How have these weather extremes affected the work, health, and safety of agricultural employers and farmworkers?
Famworkers take their lunch in the shade

Heat Illness Prevention Standard Requirements

  • by Isabel Flores Garcia
As the summer heat quickly approaches, it is important for all outdoor places of employment, including agriculture, to know that a Heat Illness Prevention Plan can be integrated into their Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP).
Farmworker drinking water in the field

California Heat Illness Prevention Study Findings

  • by Diane Mitchell and Chelsea Eastman Langer
Avoidable deaths and heat-related illnesses still occur among California farmworkers despite regulations from the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) and a campaign to encourage drinking more water and taking more rests in the shade.
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