Whether you’re working outdoors or indoors, rising temperatures will continue to have a growing impact on our performance spaces. Understanding the risks and recognizing signs of heat stress or heat-related illnesses are key to prevention, treatment, and advocating for your right to a safe work environment. We all share a responsibility in staying safe.
Hot Temperatures in the Workplace
The best practices provided here are intended to offer information and tools to help artists stay safe in their workplaces. Equity is happy to provide this information based on the research we have done in this area. In all instances, it’s best to seek the advice of a medical professional to address any health concerns.
Understanding Heat and Humidex
Humidex is a calculation that combines the effects of air temperature and humidity to measure how hot it feels to the average person — which is an important value in determining what actions, if any, are needed to keep you safe in the workplace. If it’s 25º but your body feels like it’s 45º, then your risk of heat-related illnesses may be very high.
Keep in mind, some people will be more affected by Humidex than others. Never ignore symptoms, regardless of what the temperature or humidex is!
First Humidex range — 20 to 29
Little discomfort
Second Humidex range — 30 to 39
Some discomfort
Third Humidex range — 40 to 45
Great discomfort, avoid exertion
Fourth Humidex range — above 45
Dangerous, heat stroke possible
Contributing factors to heat stress
Any number of elements can turn a safe workplace into an unsafe workplace. That includes:
- Humidity – affects your ability to sweat and keep your internal temperature at a safe level
- Physical Activity – increases your internal temperature
- Exposure – such as being in direct sunlight
- Clothing – may trap heat, depending on the material
- Individual Factors – such as age, pre-existing health conditions and more
In the Workplace
Many of Equity’s collective agreements and engagement policies have language related to temperature and air circulation which you should familiarize yourself with. While that language may not always be appropriate to your specific work environment, it’s important to know that across Canada, provincial legislation sets requirements for employers – in our case, engagers – to identify work activities and work areas where environmental conditions could cause heat-related illnesses.
Engagers should have a plan to monitor and assess these situations in order to prevent heat stress and provide support should it occur.
Communicate with your Engager
Don’t wait until you’re in crisis mode. Everyone wants your production to succeed, and having an open discussion EARLY in the process will help prevent confusion later on.
If you know you’ll be performing outside in the warmer months, or you’re aware of other factors that may increase the potential for heat stress, we strongly recommend discussing the following on the first day or before you move outside:
What can be provided to help?
- Water
- Fans
- Shaded areas
- Cooling stations
- Ice packs, cold towels
What changes can be made to help?
- Provisional choreography / fight calls that require less exertion in case of higher temperatures
- Wardrobe changes / costumes modifications
- Additional breaks
- Agreed-upon thresholds for cancelling or postponing rehearsals/performances
What to watch for and what to do
Generally speaking, here are some good practices to adopt for most situations:
- Drink one cup of water every 20 minutes
- Have cool water available
- Have access to shady areas or cooler spaces
- Have ice packs or cold towels available
Heat stress can often sneak up on you. One great way to watch out for signs of heat stress is to implement a “buddy system,” where you watch for signs in others, while they watch for signs in you.
Below is a handy list of heat-related illness symptoms to watch for and suggestions for actions to take (as provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention):
Heat stroke
What to look for:
- High body temperature (103°F or higher)
- Hot, red, dry, or damp skin
- Fast, strong pulse
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Confusion
- Losing consciousness (passing out)
What to do:
- Call 911 right away — heat stroke is a medical emergency
- Move the person to a cooler place
- Help lower the person’s temperature with cool cloths or a cool bath
- Do not give the person anything to drink
Heat exhaustion
What to look for:
- Heavy sweating
- Cold, pale, and clammy skin
- Fast, weak pulse
- Nausea or vomiting
- Muscle cramps
- Tiredness or weakness
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Fainting (passing out)
What to do:
- Move to a cool place
- Loosen your clothes
- Put cool, wet cloths on your body or take a cool bath
- Sip water
Get medical help right away if:
- You are throwing up
- Your symptoms get worse
- Your symptoms last longer than 1 hour
Heat cramps
What to look for:
- Heavy sweating during intense exercise
- Muscle pain or spasms
What to do:
- Stop physical activity and move to a cool place
- Drink water or a sports drink
- Wait for cramps to go away before you do any more physical activity
Get medical help right away if:
- Cramps last longer than 1 hour
- You’re on a low-sodium diet
- You have heart problems
Sunburn
What to look for:
- Painful, red, and warm skin
- Blisters on the skin
What to do:
- Stay out of the sun until your sunburn heals
- Put cool cloths on sunburned areas or take a cool bath
- Put moisturizing lotion on sunburned areas
- Do not break blisters
Heat rash
What to look for:
- Red clusters of small blisters that look like pimples on the skin (usually on the neck, chest, groin, or in elbow creases)
What to do:
- Stay in a cool, dry place
- Keep the rash dry
- Use powder (like baby powder) to soothe the rash