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Heat rules in Quebec: the heat stress sections of the Regulation respecting occupational health and safety

What sections 121 to 124 and Schedule V of Quebec's Regulation respecting occupational health and safety say about WBGT limits, measurement, medical supervision and water, and what section 51 of the Act respecting occupational health and safety adds.

Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It restates Division XIII (Heat stress) and Schedule V of the Regulation respecting occupational health and safety (chapter S-2.1, r. 13, in the version Publications Quebec showed as up to date on June 1, 2026) and section 51 of the Act respecting occupational health and safety (up to date on August 12, 2026), with the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) summary of provincial temperature rules, all read on October 9, 2026. The regulation speaks of an "establishment" and the pages read do not say which tree work sites count as one. The comparison of every place is on the heat rules overview.

The four sections

SectionWhat it says
121 Compulsory measurementsIn an establishment employing 50 workers or more where workers are exposed to a heat stress index at or above the continuous work curve of Schedule V, the index is measured twice a year, once in summer, at each work station where it is reached. The measurements go in a register kept for at least 5 years
122 MethodThe heat stress index is measured by the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) method set out in Schedule V
123 Index above the continuous work curveThe employer ensures exposed workers undergo medical supervision, and provides water at a temperature between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius and one shower per 15 exposed workers
124 Special measuresThe section lists three steps in order. The first is re-equipping the work station with reflecting screens, added insulation or ventilation to bring the index to the continuous work curve or below. The second, if the first is impossible or not enough, is controlling the work load, exposure time and rest time under the Schedule V work-rest regimen. The third, if neither reaches the curve, or while alterations are pending, is workers wearing appropriate individual equipment for the nature of the heat stress

Schedule V: the limits

Schedule V gives two WBGT equations: outdoors with solar load, 0.7 of the natural wet-bulb temperature plus 0.2 of the globe temperature plus 0.1 of the dry-bulb temperature; indoors or outdoors with no solar load, 0.7 of the wet-bulb plus 0.3 of the globe. Its Table 1 sets permissible values in degrees Celsius WBGT.

Alternate regimenLight, moderate, heavy work
Continuous work30.0, 26.7, 25.0
Work 75 percent, rest 25 percent each hour30.6, 28.0, 25.9
Work 50 percent, rest 50 percent each hour31.4, 29.4, 27.9
Work 25 percent, rest 75 percent each hour32.2, 31.1, 30.0

The schedule says exposure above these values is permitted only if the worker is under medical supervision and it is proven that the worker's tolerance for working in heat is greater than average. It also specifies instruments: a black globe thermometer, a natural wet-bulb thermometer and a dry-bulb thermometer, with a 15-centimetre copper sphere painted matte black for the globe.

The general duty and the CCOHS summary

Section 51 of the Act says every employer must take the necessary measures to protect the health and ensure the safety and physical and mental well-being of workers, and lists among its duties supplying drinking water and using methods to identify, control and eliminate risks. CCOHS lists Quebec's sections 121 to 124 under heat stress and Schedule V as the work-rest and WBGT reference, and notes that Quebec's regulation also sets minimum indoor temperatures that depend on the work.

Sources