How does heat stress affect a person?

• A. It can make them feel ill and impair their ability to do a good job; less blood is going to the active muscles, the brain and organs; weakness and fatigue accompany other symptoms.
• B. It improves performance.
• C. It has no effect on performance.
• D. It only affects the skin.

Answer: (A)

When the body is under heat stress, it works to cool itself by sending more blood to the skin and producing sweat. That cooling effort diverts blood away from active muscles, the brain, and other organs, which leads to weakness, fatigue, and may bring on symptoms like dizziness, headaches, nausea, or confusion. Because performance, coordination, and judgment drop, a person is less able to work effectively and safely, especially in tasks that require precision, such as pesticide application. Heat stress does not improve performance, has no effect, or affect only the skin; it is a systemic strain that impairs how you feel and how well you can function.