As we near the end of summer, mother nature has decided to give us a few more days of extreme heat, and people who work outside year round know the dangers of conditions like this.

That includes some workers for the City of Lacombe, who spend their summer days trimming trees, mowing lawns, and maintain City property. 

Corporate Services Director Michael Minchin says all of their outside workers follow safe work practices, like the rules laid out by Occupational Health and Safety.

“It’s mostly common sense, but drink lots of water, wear protective head gear, take breaks, especially when they are feeling hotter or unwell, and know the signs of heat stress.”

Minister of Labour Christina Gray says the guidelines in place through OHS, requires employers to think of their employees’ health first.  

"We, through OHS, provide guidelines, as well as information about how you can identify the early signs of heat stress. And it’s up to employers to make sure their employees are safe, and employees have that right to refuse unsafe work, if they, for example, feel like it’s getting too hot in particular location to be able to work safely.”

The heat is clearly getting to people, as Alberta set a new summer record for power consumption, peaking at 10,852 megawatts the afternoon of July 20th, as the hot weather had people cranking up their air conditioners.

The power consumption record was the second set last month.

It reached 10,520 megawatts on July 9.

Temperatures are excepted to hit 30 today here in Lacombe, and carry on tomorrow when the high is expected to be closer to 33.

Employers and workers should be aware of the early signs of heat stress and treat it right away.

These include:

  • • headache
  • • dizziness and fatigue
  • • dehydration
  • • heavy sweating
  • • muscle cramps
  • • changes to breathing and pulse rate

These symptoms can progress to heat stroke, a life-threatening condition requiring immediate medical attention.

Employers can keep workers safe by:

  • • providing plenty of cool drinking water
  • • reducing physical activity, changing the work location to a cooler, shaded area and creating a cooling station where workers can rest
  • • using a work/rest schedule with extra breaks if needed
  • • allowing workers to acclimatize by gradually increasing the time they spend working outdoors
  • • scheduling physically demanding jobs for cooler times of the day

Employees have the right to refuse work if they feel it is unsafe.

Albertans can call Occupational Health and Safety at 1-866-415-8690 if they feel their workplace is unsafe due to the hot weather, or by checking out the following links:

Working in the Heat infographic

Working in extreme temperaturesWorking in extreme temperatures

Contact Occupational Health and Safety