How to Lead Through a Heat Wave: Top 5 Tips for Employee Engagement and Safety

As temperatures rise during the summer months, managing employee well-being and engagement becomes increasingly critical, especially for those working in outdoor environments or hot warehouse settings. This is not a west coast trend, the BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCED A PROPOSED RULE TO PROTECT INDOOR, OUTDOOR WORKERS FROM EXTREME HEAT - while that is a pending decision with potentially nationwide impact….Here are five tips to help you lead effectively through a heat wave, ensuring both safety and morale remain front of mind.

1. Implement Heat Safety Training

Tip: Conduct regular training sessions to educate employees about the dangers of heat exposure and the importance of staying hydrated.

Details: Heat safety training should cover the signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, and this doesn’t need to be a formal training with a power point etc.

Impacted teams: The ones that talk about how many steps they get in a day. Think servers or food runners, carrying hot/heavy plates in the heat. Warehouse employees without a draft, brewers running up stairs in steel toed boots by a hot kettle, employees in the trade pouring tastings in the sun, even office staff where the facility does not have A/C.

Here’s a free resource: “A guide for employers to carry out Heat Safety Training for Workers” from OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration, via the Department of Labor)

2. Schedule Smartly

Tip: Adjust work schedules to minimize heat exposure during the hottest parts of the day.

Details: Whenever possible, schedule outdoor or high-heat tasks during the cooler parts of the day, such as early morning or late afternoon. When a team member clocks in for the day, they should know when their breaks and lunches are scheduled. Stagger these breaks to ensure adequate coverage and rotate employees when possible. This may mean you need to start cross training now before the next heat wave. This will ensure no one employee is exposed to extreme heat for prolonged periods.

Impacted teams: Same as above, this will look different per employer/work site.

What you can do: In a kitchen setting, ensure that employees working near ovens or stoves get frequent breaks and have access to cool areas. You may need to schedule an extra break for these team members depending on their needs.

3. Provide Adequate Hydration and Cooling

Tip: Ensure that employees have easy access to water and cooling stations.

Details: Place water stations throughout the work area and encourage employees to drink water every 15-20 minutes. I had a welding team outside of Azusa, CA. It was 115F inside the warehouse and we would order electrolyte popsicles for the team, they loved it. I remember watching a guy scale a tank with 4 in his pocket literally singing while I melted just thinking about it. A little thought about another persons working conditions goes a long way, set up cooling stations with fans, misters, and shaded rest areas where employees can take breaks.

Impacted teams: This will be tough to see with remote/out in the trade employees - it’s not about perfection, it’s about remaining curious and supporting the working conditions. See note above.

What you can do: For outdoor workers, portable shade structures and coolers filled with ice water can be very effective. In kitchens, consider how food safety and heat interact. Some counties may allow cheap neck fans and/or cooling towels to provide quick relief, others may require installed food grade fans or A/C units.

4. Monitor and Communicate

Tip: Send daily updates via email or internal messaging systems, and hold brief meetings at the start of each shift to discuss the day's heat safety plan.

Details: Everyone needs to speak the same language and have the same resource. Sharing this transparently with the team can help with confusion down the road. In my experience with CA wild fires - there’s all sorts of pieces of information during heat ways. Different sources will share different statistics on the day, all day, and it will cause chaos. To stop this, before it starts - use the free resource below, then communicate and remind teams of the safety protocols in place. Employers don’t know what they don’t know - encourage open communication where employees can report any discomfort or symptoms of heat-related illnesses immediately.

Impacted teams: Will vary.

Here’s a free resource: OSHA-NIOSH Heat Safety Tool App

5. Foster a Supportive Environment

Tip: Encourage a culture of care and support among employees.

Details: Promote a team-oriented environment where employees look out for each other. Encourage them to speak up if they notice a coworker showing signs of heat stress. Recognize and reward employees who demonstrate adherence to safety protocols and who support their peers in staying safe. Once I had a back of house team with one functioning hood over a large stove during a heat wave, a front of house staff with no A/C. This was a restaurant environment, no one wants to see pit stains while getting served their food. It’s just not a good look with food safety, or employer branding… or lots of things. You know how it feels when you put on a fresh shirt after a sticky day - so does your team. Give a change of shirt if you have a dress code and let them freshen up. You need to be the one to start and foster a supportive environment.

Impacted teams: This can be a company wide thing, you can implement a "buddy system" where employees work in pairs to monitor each other's well-being during their shifts. It doesn’t have to be formal, upon shift change or new employees coming to work, you can vocalize it in a huddle, via company communication channels or face to face depending on team structure.

Here’s a free resource: CDC article Protecting Yourself From Heat , I really like the focus on employee engagement and safety.

Conclusion

Leading through a heat wave requires proactive planning and a commitment to employee safety and well-being. By implementing these five tips, you can ensure your team remains engaged and protected, even in extreme temperatures. Remember, a well-hydrated, well-rested, and well-informed team is a productive and happy team.

For more detailed guidelines on heat safety and training resources, visit the OSHA website: OSHA Heat Safety.

If you need further assistance in developing a comprehensive heat safety plan for your workplace, contact me at the form below. Together, we can create a safer and more productive environment for your employees.

By prioritizing these strategies, you can navigate the challenges of heat waves effectively, keeping your employees safe and your operations running smoothly.