Heat warnings have stretched across Canada this summer, from Atlantic Canada and southern British Columbia to the Prairies, central Canada and the Northwest Territories.
During one mid-July heat wave, humidex readings reached up to 45 C across parts of southern Ontario and western Québec, according to Environment Canada.
For millions of Canadians, those warnings changed day-to-day plans. For many workers, though, the workday continued on construction sites, farms and loading docks, and inside factories, warehouses and restaurant kitchens.
The most visible workplace consequences are heat exhaustion and heat stroke. But heat also creates a less obvious and poorly understood risk: it makes ordinary workplace injuries more likely.
