With the summer heat baring down and likely to make plenty of appearances through the summer, people are being reminded to watch the heat and how it'll affect them.

That includes people who work outside, with both employees and employers needing to keep an eye on keeping people safe.

Jonathan Sherman, Director of Prevention at the Worker's Compensation Board Saskatchewan, details some of the problems that can come with people remembering safety tips.

“I think the most difficult thing is that it's sometimes hard to implement them when you're working, you get busy doing things that you sort of forget about it. But a lot of the best preparation starts before the work day even begins, you know, getting that good night's sleep, making sure that you're eating healthy, resting, and ensuring that you're hydrated to the appropriate amount before you even start the work.”  

For employers, Sherman recommends that they measure just how long employees will be exposed to sunshine.

"I think that it's really important that they take a look at the work that they're doing based on the task and the duration and where their people would be and come up with a plan. It doesn't have to be incredibly sophisticated, it just has to be ensuring that there are provisions for water and the ability for people to take breaks and that's communicated throughout the entire organization so that the supervisors are aware of the folks that are working in the field are aware and ensure that they are clear that this is part of the work day as we get into hot conditions.” 

That applies to industries that often have people outside to work but is especially important if a plan isn't yet in place. 

"It depends on what industry you work in as well, if you're in parks or something or you're working outside on a regular basis you may have those provisions already in place because that's part of your normal work sort of process. If you are normally not working outside and then something takes you out there, that's a really good opportunity to take a moment and put a plan together with your supervisor and your employer and then execute that plan to ensure your safety as you work outdoors.”

Sherman says the most important tip is to watch out for any coworkers who are outside and make sure no one is having problems. 

"I just think that like anything else with health and safety, the more that we do prior to the work day or the specific tasks that take us out into the field, the more successful we're going to be in implementation. It's important that we look out for each other and to keep our eye on our colleagues at all times, and that's no different for heat stress or for severe weather conditions. “