Staff safety due to wildfire smoke is a challenge in our area. This week in the Northeast, we’re experiencing something that feels almost apocalyptic. Canadian forest fires have blanketed our region in smoke. Beyond creating an eerie orange haze as the sun struggles to penetrate the smog its impacted air quality. The visual IS dramatic, but the real concern isn’t aesthetic. It’s about your staff safety. As a business owner, you need to take two critical factors seriously during summer months. These are particularly important when air quality deteriorates or heat indexes climb above 100 degrees.

The Heat Index Challenge

In the custodial industry and other sectors where teams work outdoors or in poorly ventilated spaces, heat management is a constant battle. Many people don’t know that buildings get their air conditioning turned off while the janitorial team is cleaning them. Outbuildings like double-wide trailers sit in the sun without any climate control. The air quality and working conditions can be tough.

When the heat index exceeds 100 degrees, you need a safety strategy, not just good intentions. This means being intentional about clothing choices. Yes, your team needs to stay cool enough to avoid heat exhaustion, but they also need protection. Requesting they wear long sleeves and pants can protect against cuts from sharp objects in trash cans and trash bags. These also need to be breathable while still allowing them to work comfortably. It’s a balance between respectable appearance and practical safety.

More importantly, prioritize more frequent breaks and consistent hydration. This isn’t negotiable. Most people don’t realize that coffee and cola actually dehydrate your team further. Suggest electrolyte drinks and water. These are the things that replenish what employees are sweating out. Your team’s bodies aren’t designed to work at maximum physical intensity for extended periods in extreme heat or during regional issues with smoke and poor air quality.

Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality

The smoke crisis brings a second challenge that many owners underestimate: air quality. California deals with smog reports regularly. As of the date of this podcast, in wester New York State we’re experiencing that reality. Air quality matters tremendously, especially for staff with heart or lung issues.

I’ve watched people put on masks thinking they’re protected, only to realize they can still smell the smoke. That’s a red flag. If particulates are small enough to reach your nose, they’re small enough to bypass a standard cloth mask. During COVID, we learned that only two masks truly filter effectively: the N95 and the KN95 (a step down but similar in design). They perform vastly better than fabric masks.

Here’s the critical part: if you’re supplying N95 or KN95 masks, your employees need to be fit-tested. A mask that doesn’t fit properly isn’t protection, it’s theater.

Documentation and Common Sense

Not every employee will have the same tolerance for heat and smoke. Some will power through. Others need to go home. That’s normal. When someone complains enough that it’s affecting his work and his teammates’ morale, send him home for the night. But document the conversation. Note what you advised. If anything happens later, that documentation proves you communicated the risks and took action.

I’ve seen organizations handle this brilliantly. One place I worked with started shifts at 3 a.m., had everyone leaving by noon, so nobody worked through the heat of the day. Schools, college campuses, and construction sites often have no air conditioning during summer. This approach works for them too.

The Bottom Line

Staff safety during high heat and poor air quality isn’t a suggestion; it’s a responsibility. More breaks, proper hydration, protective equipment that’s actually fit-tested, and documented conversations with your team. These aren’t luxuries, they’re the baseline for caring for the people who keep your business running.

Your team is what’s important to you. Show them that through proper training and your actions. For more information, structured help and training that pays you, contact me, here.

This Week’s Podcast transcript can be downloaded here for free.