If I pass out from heat at work

[UKIsNowAfrica]

If I pass out from heat at work how bad is it

Very funny. Yeah. St John's Ambulance, they're a joke, they'll probably treat heatstroke with polo mints, etc.

Their advice is consistent with others though, e.g. the NHS says "Heatstroke is a medical emergency. Get immediate medical help if someone has the symptoms of heatstroke."

The nhs also don’t advise you call an ambulance of any type for fainting.

There are a fair few people who couldn't afford a taxi.

It's the best part of £40 to my nearest A&E department.

Yep. Fainting from heat stroke is not really a good thing.

I assume it's to do with the heat and nothing more. If I was going to suggest somewhere was really freezing I would liken it to Siberia or the Artic.

Need more information OP. Is your work refusing to let you get a cool drink or splash water on your face/wrists?

It depends on what job you do.

Are you a bus driver for example?

Are you worried about falling from a great height or hitting your head?

We need more context.

That doesn’t mean you get an ambulance! It’s not transport

I'm a first aider at work. It's quite bad if someone faints, because as well as having to do first aid, there is a lot of paperwork. Previous workplace would have called an ambulance no question. Colleague at current place collapsed at work (not in a heat wave and ended up having checks at hospital and quite a bit of time off sick while they sorted out the previously undiagnosed condition. I didn't deal with it though, as I wasn't in the office at thst point.

First aid has also meant it can be hard to get hold of ice at work - canteen has freezers, but no ice-cubes.

Bad in what sense? And obviously it depends on whether you pass out because you aren't looking after yourself properly or pass out because your employer isn't taking the H&S precautions they should.

It depends. Do you have any underlying health conditions that can be affected by the heat. I've got a dodgy heart so if I faint because I'm hot, then off to A&E I go.

As I said, it's not about the fainting on its own, it's the combination of heat + unwell + fainting. Minimising this is going to deter OP and other users from seeking potentially much-needed help.

Please don’t encourage people who faint in the heat to call an ambulance. So irresponsible.

Maybe point out there are some symptoms that when they accompany fainting (not breathing, being unconscious for >1minute etc) necessitate urgent medical attention but no, not everyone who faints in the heat should call an ambulance

Drink more water. Use fans if available. Unless you have underlying health issues then you shouldn’t pass out. If you do, it’ll pass.

I passed out at work during the heatwave a couple of weeks ago. I work in a shop and it was just so hot, like everywhere else. I was on antibiotics at the time which could have been a cause. My boss was absolutely lovely and really kind. Called my partner who took me to get checked then went home. That's it really. I was obviously embarrassed, but it is just one of those things. Back at work for my next shift and all was good.

Are you a medic? If not, don't go call others irresponsible for pointing out heatstroke is an emergency. Again, from the NHS website;

Symptoms of heatstroke
The symptoms of heatstroke include:

• a very high temperature
• hot skin without sweating
• fast breathing and a fast heartbeat
• confusion and restlessness
• seizure (fit)
• loss of consciousness

Heatstroke is a medical emergency. Get immediate medical help if someone has the symptoms of heatstroke.

If ambulances were sent whenever they were called you might have a point, but that’s not how it works.
What would actually happen is that the operator would ask questions to determine whether one is actually needed.
I can’t believe they haven’t got scripts for exactly this situation.

Such DRAMA. 🙄

Losing consciousness due to overheating is heatstroke.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heat-exhaustion-heatstroke/

'The symptoms of heatstroke include:

• a very high temperature
• hot skin without sweating
• fast breathing and a fast heartbeat
• confusion and restlessness
• seizure (fit)
• loss of consciousness

Heatstroke is a medical emergency. Get immediate medical help if someone has the symptoms of heatstroke.'

We can all link to the nhs advice

www.nhs.uk/symptoms/fainting/

I’m assuming the OP has passed out.

Heatstroke is an emergency but many people use that term when they just have symptoms of overheating.

You can faint because of a slight drop in blood pressure due to dehydration in the heat for example. If you regain consciousness quickly and don’t have other symptoms it’s unlikely to be heatstroke. Heatstroke is where your nervous system is showing dysfunction like confusion, slurred words, along with dangerously high body temperature.

I agree and I would hope in most cases an ambulance wouldn’t be dispatched, but you know, if they’re mumsnetters they’ll be telling them they’re about to go into a coma from heatstroke so the dispatcher might not get the objective story….

As I have said above, I used to faint from a hot bath. That is not heatstroke. It is losing consciousness due to heat though.

It’s Def been more than a minute too 😱

What's your AIBU?

It depends on several factors. If you're operating machinery or vehicles, or working at height, then it's pretty serious. If you've got a desk job then less so.

Keep hydrated and keep up your salt intake.