By mid-season, most safety teams have already experienced some heat stress trigger: a close call, an early shift-out, or extreme temperatures that make it nearly impossible to work safely. And while early summer is all about preparation and training, now is the time to evaluate performance and make mid-course corrections—before peak fatigue, heatwaves, or system gaps catch up with you.
Here’s how to check in on your program while there’s still time to adjust.
1. Start With 5 Simple Questions
Think of this as your heat safety gut check. These questions can uncover issues hiding in plain sight:
- Are workers staying hydrated and acclimatized throughout the day, or just early in the shift?
- Is there a quick response to alerts consistently by supervisors?
- Have we seen any “close calls” or warning signs we ignored or downplayed?
- Are we relying more on gut instinct than real-time data to make decisions?
- Is fatigue impacting performance, productivity, or morale?
If the answer to even one of these is uncertain, it’s time to pause and take a closer look at what’s actually happening in the field.
2. Let the Data Talk
If you’re using physiological or environmental monitoring tools (like wearables or zone-based sensors), this is the moment to dig into the trends:
- What times of day are alerts peaking?
- Are the same individuals repeatedly triggering warnings?
- Are there particular locations or job types where risk is consistently higher?
These patterns offer critical insight into not just worker safety, but also how your heat safety protocols are performing in practice. You may find that some crews need extra breaks or certain areas need stronger airflow or hydration stations.
3. Make Fast, Smart Adjustments
Don’t wait for a heat-related incident to force your hand. Some common mid-season course corrections include:
- Tweaking alert thresholds based on real-world tolerance and job demands
- Reworking schedules to avoid heavy exertion in high-risk hours (e.g., 2–4 PM)
- Switching up hydration strategies, including electrolytes or mobile refill coolers
- Re-educating supervisors on early symptoms and heat illness protocols
- Re-evaluating wearable/device setup to make sure you’re getting full coverage
The key is agility. Heat safety is not a static plan, it’s a system that should respond to your environment and workforce in real time.
4. Watch for Protocol Fatigue
By mid-season, even the best-trained crews can start to slip into old habits, especially if the first few months were uneventful. If workers are ignoring alerts, skipping hydration, or brushing off symptoms, it’s time to reset.
Consider hosting a mid-season refresher or toolbox talk focused on:
- Recognizing early heat stress signals in yourself and others
- The importance of acting on alerts, not overriding them
- Real stories or near-miss examples from within your team (anonymized if needed)
A short reset now can prevent a major incident later.
5. Document Everything for Your End-of-Year Review
This season isn’t just about surviving the heat; it’s about learning from it. Mid-season is the perfect time to start documenting wins, misses, and changes for your end-of-year review. That documentation won’t just help you refine your approach next year, it will help justify future safety investments and demonstrate proactive leadership.
Track things like:
- Number and timing of alerts
- Environmental thresholds breached
- Interventions taken and their outcomes
- Productivity impacts tied to heat or recovery time
Your future self will thank you.
Final Takeaway
A mid-season checkpoint can mean the difference between managing risk and reacting to it. Don’t wait for a critical incident to reassess. You have the tools, the data, and the insight to take control and now’s the time to use them.