Does Workers’ Compensation Apply to Heat Stroke?
Extreme heat can cause devastating and fatal harm to individuals who spend an extended period of time outdoors, and especially workers who are required to exert physical effort during extreme heat. As the recent heat wave impacting Maryland and much of the east coast underscores, it is critical for employers to ensure that there are heat-related safety precautions and procedures in place for employees who must work in conditions of extreme heat, and workers should also know the risks of serious heat-related illness, especially heat stroke. According to a recent report in the Washington Post, the Mid-Atlantic states recently saw recent-high temperatures, including a peak of 103 degrees in Baltimore and 102 degrees in Washington, DC, and Frederick, Maryland.
Whether you or someone you love recently sustained a serious heat-related injury at work during the heat wave, or at another point due to extreme heat, is it possible to seek workers’ compensation benefits? In particular, does workers’ compensation cover heat stroke, the most serious of the heat-related illnesses? Consider the following information from our Maryland workers’ compensation lawyers.
What is Heat Stroke and How Does It Happen?
The Maryland Department of Labor recognizes that heat stress and various heat-related illnesses are a known workplace hazard, especially for “workers exposed to extreme heat or hot environments.” These hazards can worsen significantly during heat waves, especially for employees who must work outdoors in hot environments, such as construction workers, roofers, and warehousing employees. Heat stroke is commonly recognized as the most serious of the heat-related illnesses the workers can face due to extreme heat.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heat stroke “occurs when the body can no longer control its temperature” and “the body is unable to cool down.” When a person suffers heat stroke due to extreme heat exposure, their body temperature can rise as high as 106 degrees Fahrenheit, and sometimes even higher. The CDC underscores that “heat stroke can cause permanent disability or death if the person does not receive emergency treatment.”
What Types of Injuries Are Covered by the Maryland Workers’ Compensation System?
Is heat stroke compensable through the Maryland workers’ compensation system? In short, it certainly may be compensable, and an injured employee or their surviving family may be eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits following heat stroke at work.
In order for any condition, including heat stroke, to be compensable through the workers’ compensation system, Maryland law requires you to show that the injury arose out of and occurred in the course of employment. For employees whose work requires them to be outdoors in extreme heat, and when the heat stroke injury occurred as a result of such exposure, it should be relatively straightforward for you to meet the requirements, especially with assistance from your attorney.
Contact a Maryland Workers’ Compensation Attorney
Did you or someone you love suffer from heat stroke as a result of working outdoors in extreme heat in Maryland? You may be able to obtain workers’ compensation benefits. One of the experienced Maryland workers’ compensation attorneys at the Law Offices of Steinhardt, Siskind and Lieberman, LLC can begin assisting you with your claim today.
Sources:
cdc.gov/niosh/heat-stress/about/illnesses.html
labor.maryland.gov/labor/mosh/moshheatstress.shtml
washingtonpost.com/weather/2026/07/03/peak-heat-reaches-mid-atlantic-many-records-fall-across-east/