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100-BZM-01-IGDO ©2025, Workplace Safety & Prevention Services
(WSPS) 1 877 494 WSPS (9777) | 905 614 1400 | WSPS.CA
wear warm clothing
when attending to
potential water rescue
• Unheated lifeguard
buildings; no access to
heated spaces
• Immersion in relatively
warm water above 25°C
(77 °F) for prolonged
periods of time, such as
a person-overboard with
extended search and
rescue
• Unseasonable cold
• Additional measures may include blankets for staff on guard chairs and
windproof jackets that can be quickly removed prior to a water-entry rescue
while maintaining eye contact with a drowning swimmer. Avoid hoodies that
are removed over the head, long pants, and cotton clothing, which saturates
and becomes heavy when wet.
• Where air temperatures are too high to safely wear wetsuits, drysuits, or
survival suits due to heat stress risks but cold-water risks remain, consider
postponing the activity, use job rotation to minimize heat stress risks, or use
safer submersion (such as with aquatics training) to prevent heat stress from
thermal protective wear.
• Develop a written personal protective equipment policy and program that
requires staff to wear personal floatation devices when working on or near
cold water, including wearing PFDs over wet or drysuits. Well-designed
personal floatation devices can help keep an individual's face out of water
preventing inhaling water during cold-water shock-induced gasping.
Training
• Train staff on the risks of hypothermia and cold-water shock.
• Encourage staff to bring extra clothing to put on during breaks to warm up,
even in summer conditions.
• Train staff on the signs and symptoms of hypothermia and cold-water shock so
they can identify them in themselves and others.
Emergency Response
• Ensure staff are prepared to handle cold emergencies and how to access
immediate assistance if required.
Resources
• Why It's Dangerous | National Center for Cold Water Safety
• Water Temperature Safety Guide | National Center for Cold Water Safety
• Cold Water – Canadian Safe Boating Council
• Acclimation To Cold Water | National Center for Cold Water Safety
• Hot Weather / Cold Water | National Center for Cold Water Safety
7. Inclement Weather
Hazards Prevention Tips
Inclement and extreme weather
can lead to serious and even
fatal staff injuries.
Common weather dangers of
waterfront operations include:
Emergency Planning
• Plan for how staff will access to daily weather forecasts, timely access to storm
watches, and immediate access to storm warnings when announced.
• Identify and designate the closest sturdy, enclosed buildings to take shelter.
• Determine written response protocols based on threat level.
• Follow applicable standards for when to close and evacuate the waterfront,
and when it is safe to resume operations.
