# Heat Illness Prevention Plan — Oregon URL: https://hardhatbinder.com/en/safety-plans/oregon-heat-illness-prevention-plan Last updated: 2026-10-23 > This is the full template. Words in [brackets] are what you fill in for your company; everything else is the fixed wording, checked against the rule cited under each section. ## 1. Purpose and scope This plan applies to all work by [Company name], indoors or outdoors, when the heat index is 80°F or above. It is kept at each job site and is available to employees and to Oregon OSHA. Exposure of 15 minutes or less in any 60 minutes, and buildings where ventilation keeps the heat index below 80°F, are outside the rule. Source: [OAR 437-002-0156](https://osha.oregon.gov/OSHARules/div2/div2J.pdf) ## 2. Responsibilities [Plan administrator (name and title)] is responsible for this plan, phone [Plan administrator phone]. The plan administrator makes sure supplies are available, supervisors are trained, and the plan is reviewed every year before the hot season. Supervisors and foremen who carry out this plan on site: [Supervisors and foremen who carry out this plan on site] Every worker is expected to drink water often, take cool-down rest when needed, watch out for co-workers, and report symptoms right away. ## 3. Drinking water and hydration Cool or cold drinking water is free and readily available, enough for each employee to drink up to 32 ounces per hour. It may be refilled during the shift. Supervisors give workers the chance to drink at least that much and remind them often. [How drinking water is provided] Source: [OAR 437-002-0156](https://osha.oregon.gov/OSHARules/div2/div2J.pdf) ## 4. Shade and cool rest areas At a heat index of 80°F or above, shade is immediately available, open on at least three sides or ventilated, as close as practical to the work, and large enough for everyone on a rest break to sit in a normal posture. Workers remove heat-retaining PPE during rest. [How shade or cooling is provided] Workers report heat illness symptoms in themselves or a co-worker to a supervisor immediately. No one is disciplined for reporting symptoms or for taking a cool-down rest. Source: [OAR 437-002-0156](https://osha.oregon.gov/OSHARules/div2/div2J.pdf) ## 5. Checking the weather [Who checks the forecast and heat index, and how] When a heat advisory or excessive heat warning is issued, supervisors put the high-heat procedures in place for that day. ## 6. High-heat practices and rest-break schedule (heat index 90°F and above) At a heat index of 90°F or above, supervisors communicate with workers in a language they understand, observe them for signs of heat illness, and make sure designated, equipped employees can call emergency medical services. How workers are observed: [How workers are observed at a heat index of 90°F and above] This company uses the simplified rest-break schedule in the rule (option C). Rest breaks are taken in the shade and count as work time unless they fall during an unpaid meal period: - Heat index 90°F or above: 10 minutes every 2 hours. - Heat index 95°F or above: 20 minutes every hour. - Heat index 100°F or above: 30 minutes every hour. - Heat index 105°F or above: 40 minutes every hour. - Inside structures without ventilation, the heat index is measured directly at the work area. Source: [OAR 437-002-0156](https://osha.oregon.gov/OSHARules/div2/div2J.pdf) ## 7. Acclimatization plan This company follows the NIOSH acclimatization schedule referenced in Appendix A of the rule. Workers who are new to heat, or returning after more than 7 days away, start with a reduced share of full heat exposure and build up over about a week: - New workers: no more than 20% of the usual duration of heat exposure on day 1, increasing by no more than 20% each day after. - Workers with previous experience in the job: no more than 50% on day 1, 60% on day 2, 80% on day 3 and 100% on day 4. - Supervisors account for clothing and PPE, personal risk factors and extra cooling measures when applying the schedule. Source: [OAR 437-002-0156](https://osha.oregon.gov/OSHARules/div2/div2J.pdf) ## 8. Emergency response Workers reach a supervisor this way: [How workers reach a supervisor during the shift] Designated to call 911: [Who is designated to call 911]. Anyone who sees a worker with signs of severe heat illness calls 911 right away. Directions for emergency responders: [How you give emergency responders directions to each job site] The company's emergency medical plan under 29 CFR 1926.50 covers heat illness. - Signs of heat stroke (confusion, slurred speech, fainting, seizures, hot skin, no sweating): call 911, move the worker to shade, cool them with water, ice or wet cloths, and stay with them until help arrives. - Signs of heat exhaustion (heavy sweating, headache, dizziness, nausea, cramps): stop work, rest in shade, drink water, loosen clothing, and keep watching; call 911 if it gets worse or doesn't improve. - Never leave a sick worker alone and never send them home without offering first aid or emergency medical services. Source: [29 CFR 1926.50](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.50) ## 9. Training and records Every employee and supervisor is trained each year before heat exposure, in a language and manner that lets them ask questions. Training covers: - Environmental and personal risk factors, including non-work factors such as medications and illness. - This company's procedures, and the right to use them without retaliation. - Drinking up to 32 ounces of water per hour, and acclimatization. - Types of heat illness, how it progresses, first aid, and reporting symptoms right away. - Training records show each employee's name or ID, the date and the trainer. The most recent annual record for each employee is kept. Source: [OAR 437-002-0156](https://osha.oregon.gov/OSHARules/div2/div2J.pdf) ## Official sources - [OAR 437-002-0156](https://osha.oregon.gov/OSHARules/div2/div2J.pdf) - [Oregon OSHA fact sheet: heat illness prevention](https://osha.oregon.gov/OSHAPubs/factsheets/fs91.pdf) - [29 CFR 1926.50](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.50) --- Source: HardHat Binder, operated by Leadspire LLC. Templates to be reviewed by a competent person before use; not legal advice; not affiliated with OSHA.