---
title: "What Is Buddy System? Heat Stress and Hydration Glossary"
description: "A buddy system pairs workers so each watches the other for signs of heat illness, such as confusion, heavy sweating or dizziness, and speaks up fast."
url: https://jmarsolutions.multisites.ai/glossary/buddy-system
publisher: JMAR Solutions
phone: +1-214-632-7780
quote: https://jmarsolutions.multisites.ai/contact
---

Heat illness prevention

# Buddy system

A buddy system pairs workers so each watches the other for signs of heat illness, such as confusion, heavy sweating or dizziness, and speaks up fast.

A buddy system pairs workers so each one watches the other. NIOSH lists it as a work practice where workers observe each other for signs of heat-related illness. People who are getting sick often miss it themselves, and confusion is a sign of [heat stroke](https://jmarsolutions.multisites.ai/glossary/heat-stroke).

Tell buddies what to watch for: dizziness, nausea, heavy sweating, slurred speech, or unusual behavior. NIOSH also stresses reporting symptoms in yourself or a coworker to the supervisor right away. A buddy helps most on a new worker's first days, when the body is not yet used to the heat. Call 911 for signs of heat stroke. Put the pairing in your [heat illness prevention plan](https://jmarsolutions.multisites.ai/glossary/heat-illness-prevention-plan) and cover it in a [toolbox talk](https://jmarsolutions.multisites.ai/glossary/toolbox-talk).

[From JMAR SolutionsHydration programs and toolbox talks for crews](https://jmarsolutions.multisites.ai/hydration-programs)

## Related terms

-   [Heat stroke](https://jmarsolutions.multisites.ai/glossary/heat-stroke)
-   [Toolbox talk](https://jmarsolutions.multisites.ai/glossary/toolbox-talk)
-   [Heat illness prevention plan](https://jmarsolutions.multisites.ai/glossary/heat-illness-prevention-plan)
-   [Acclimatization](https://jmarsolutions.multisites.ai/glossary/acclimatization)

## Sources

1.  [CDC NIOSH: Workplace Recommendations](https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/heat-stress/recommendations/index.html)

![Ironworkers silhouetted on a steel frame against a hot orange sunset](https://jmarsolutions.multisites.ai/_astro/sunset-steel.IhAMDca0_6wk53.webp)

## See it on your crew in 15 minutes

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