---
title: "What Is Hypothermia? Heat Stress and Hydration Glossary"
description: "Hypothermia is abnormally low body temperature. A body temperature that is too low affects the brain and makes a person unable to think clearly or move well."
url: https://jmarsolutions.multisites.ai/glossary/hypothermia
publisher: JMAR Solutions
phone: +1-214-632-7780
quote: https://jmarsolutions.multisites.ai/contact
---

Cold

# Hypothermia

Hypothermia is abnormally low body temperature. A body temperature that is too low affects the brain and makes a person unable to think clearly or move well.

Hypothermia is abnormally low body temperature. NIOSH says a body temperature that is too low affects the brain, making the victim unable to think clearly or move well. That makes it dangerous on a jobsite.

It is one of the main forms of [cold stress](https://jmarsolutions.multisites.ai/glossary/cold-stress). Crew leads should watch each other, much like a [buddy system](https://jmarsolutions.multisites.ai/glossary/buddy-system) in the heat. A worker who cannot think clearly or move well in the cold needs help right away. Learn more in our [cold stress at work guide](https://jmarsolutions.multisites.ai/guides/cold-stress-at-work). Also see [frostbite](https://jmarsolutions.multisites.ai/glossary/frostbite).

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

## Related terms

-   [Cold stress](https://jmarsolutions.multisites.ai/glossary/cold-stress)
-   [Frostbite](https://jmarsolutions.multisites.ai/glossary/frostbite)
-   [Core body temperature](https://jmarsolutions.multisites.ai/glossary/core-body-temperature)
-   [Buddy system](https://jmarsolutions.multisites.ai/glossary/buddy-system)

## Sources

1.  [CDC NIOSH: Cold-related Illnesses in Workers](https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/cold-stress/about/related-illness.html)
2.  [CDC NIOSH: Cold-related Illnesses in Workers](https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/cold-stress/about/related-illness.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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