By Stephen M. Morrow
Attorney, Morrow Law Firm – Opelousas, Louisiana
Workplace safety is often associated with visible hazards—equipment, machinery, and high-risk job sites. However, environmental factors like heat and humidity can be just as dangerous, particularly in Louisiana where temperatures rise quickly and stay elevated through much of the year. For employees working outdoors or in non-air-conditioned environments, heat stroke and dehydration present real risks that can lead to hospitalization, permanent injury, or even death.
Louisiana law addresses workplace injuries broadly, but heat-related illnesses are increasingly part of that conversation, especially as weather patterns shift and hotter conditions persist longer into the calendar year. Recognizing the signs of employer responsibility in these cases is essential for those affected by heat exposure on the job.
How Heat Becomes a Workplace Hazard
Heat stroke and dehydration don’t require a catastrophic event. They build gradually—through lack of rest, poor access to water, extended exposure to sun, or intense physical exertion in poorly ventilated spaces. Certain types of work, like roofing, construction, landscaping, and industrial labor, naturally involve higher exposure to heat. But risk exists anywhere an employee is working in warm, confined, or humid environments without adequate breaks or hydration.
Unlike a single traumatic event, heat-related illnesses often involve multiple smaller failures: failure to provide rest breaks, failure to train supervisors on warning signs, or failure to account for weather conditions when assigning tasks. These failures contribute to preventable harm.
Workers’ Compensation and Heat-Related Injuries
Under Louisiana’s workers’ compensation laws, employees are entitled to benefits if they suffer injuries or illnesses arising out of and in the course of employment. This includes heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and other heat-related medical conditions, provided they occur while the worker is performing assigned duties.
When a claim is filed, the key questions typically include:
- Was the employee engaged in work-related activity at the time of the incident?
- Did the work conditions create or contribute to the heat-related illness?
- Did the employer provide reasonable measures to prevent injury?
The law does not require employers to eliminate all risks, but it does expect that known risks be reasonably managed. This includes environmental risks such as excessive heat.
Negligence Beyond Compensation
In some cases, an injury may not be fully covered or may fall into a gray area where general negligence principles apply. If an employer fails to take even basic steps to prevent foreseeable harm—such as failing to provide water, shade, or rest periods—it may open the door to claims beyond workers’ compensation.
Louisiana courts have historically held employers accountable when failure to act leads to injury, especially when industry standards clearly support preventive action. This applies to heat exposure just as it would to faulty equipment or lack of safety gear.
Recognizing Preventable Conditions
Heat-related injuries become more preventable when certain warning signs are acknowledged and addressed in advance. Key risk indicators in work environments include:
- Long periods of exposure to direct sunlight without rotation or shade
- Lack of hydration stations or cool drinking water
- Absence of scheduled rest breaks during high-temperature hours
- Heavy protective gear with limited airflow
- Poor training or failure to identify early symptoms of heat stress
These are not unpredictable or unmanageable. When they are ignored, the legal system may interpret it as a disregard for employee safety.
Responsibilities for Contractors and Staffing Agencies
The construction and industrial sectors often use subcontractors or staffing agencies, which can create confusion around liability. In Louisiana, the direct employer typically bears the burden of workplace safety, but general contractors may also share responsibility depending on how much control they have over the job site.
Miscommunication between staffing firms and host employers regarding rest schedules, water availability, or jobsite temperature protocols can lead to gaps in safety enforcement. When those gaps result in injury, legal responsibility is evaluated based on the facts surrounding control, oversight, and knowledge of conditions.
Reporting, Documentation, and Recovery
Employees suffering from heat-related injuries should report symptoms as soon as possible. Delayed reporting can complicate claims and delay treatment. Documenting the environment—temperature, humidity, access to water, duration of exposure—strengthens the legal basis of a claim and supports future injury prevention efforts.
Medical attention should be sought immediately, followed by notification to the employer. Workers’ compensation claims should be initiated without delay. If denied or delayed, legal support may be required to ensure appropriate benefits are received.
Final Thoughts on Prevention and Liability
Heat is not an invisible threat. It is measurable, predictable, and manageable with the right protocols in place. Employers who ignore environmental factors expose workers to unnecessary risk and expose themselves to legal liability. Workers have the right to a safe environment, and that includes protection from the hazards created by heat and dehydration.
Louisiana law provides remedies when employers fail to meet that responsibility. Understanding those rights and acting on them when necessary ensures safer conditions for everyone on the job.
About the Author:
Stephen M. Morrow is an attorney at Morrow Law Firm in Opelousas, Louisiana. He focuses on representing individuals in workplace injury cases. Morrow Law Firm is led by William P. Morrow, John Michael Morrow, Jr., and Stephen M. Morrow. The firm handles cases involving jobsite injuries, occupational illnesses, car wrecks, trucking accidents, and employer liability throughout the state of Louisiana.