WorkSafeBC issues warning on heat stress and air quality
Posted June 9, 2025 5:29 pm.
Last Updated June 11, 2025 9:18 am.
With summer-like temperatures arriving, WorkSafeBC is reminding employers to protect their employees from heat stress and poor air quality.
They urge businesses to have a plan ready for the hot and potentially smoky conditions expected this summer.
“Under the Workers’ Compensation Act, employers are legally responsible for protecting their workers from all known hazards, including those related to extreme heat,” said WorkSafeBC spokesperson Suzanna Prpic.
Prpic emphasizes that employers must re-evaluate workplace conditions when temperatures rise.
“It is important that all workplaces that may have concerns relating to heat are assessed accordingly and that appropriate control measures are put in place.”
This includes ensuring proper ventilation, providing regular rest breaks, and readily available drinking water.
Since 2020, WorkSafeBC has accepted over 300 heat-related injury claims.
The highest numbers were reported in the construction, transportation, public works, food services, and film and television production sectors.
