As part of Safety Day: Do the Right Thing in Managing Fatigue, we are presenting a series of short articles to raise your awareness of fatigue and fatigue-related risks as well to give you some ideas and tips as to avoid these hazards and keep you and your family safe.

What is heat stress?

Heat stress is defined as the load of heat that must be lost by the body to maintain the core body temperature below 38°C. When the surrounding environment is warmer than the body temperature and very humid, the human body has to work harder to lose the required heat load. Under these conditions, sweating is the key mechanism by which the body loses heat. When sweating is profuse or not enough to maintain the core body temperature, the individual experiences heat stress and dehydration which may lead to heat related fatigue and illnesses.