High heat and wildfire smoke can create health and safety risks for workers. There are steps employers, supervisors, and workers can take to protect themselves.

Hot weather health and safety tips

Here are some hot weather health and safety tips, especially for people working in healthcare in outdoor environments.

Adapted from WorkSafeBC (2026). Preventing Heat Stress at Work

Employers can use WorkSafeBC’s heat stress screening tool to identify when workers may be at risk of heat stress and decide when to put controls in place to help keep them safe.

Wildfire smoke exposure safety tips

Wildfire smoke can cause significant challenges for health workers, especially for people working outdoors. Employers should treat smoke exposure as a workplace hazard.

Here are some tips from WorkSafeBC to reduce the health and safety risks related to wildfire smoke exposure.

Adapted from WorkSafeBC (2026). WorkSafeBC reminds employers to prepare for summer weather hazards

Signs of heat-related illnesses

Heat-related illness can sneak up on you if you are not prepared and do not know what to look for. A decrease in alertness is an early symptom; this is one of the main reasons workers should not work alone in high heat environments. Understand the symptoms and what you should do if you, your coworkers, patients, clients, or residents experience heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

Adapted from WorkSafeBC (2026). Preventing Heat Stress at Work

Signs of wildfire smoke exposure

Wildfire smoke exposure can cause a range of symptoms, from mild irritation to more serious health effects, especially for those with pre-existing health conditions. Most symptoms are resolved without medical attention once air quality improves.

Adapted from BC Centre for Disease Control (2024). Health Effects of Wildfire Smoke