Critical overlap: dizziness, nausea, headache, and heavy sweating fit both heat illness and mild pesticide poisoning. When in doubt, treat for both — get out of the heat, decontaminate, and seek medical help with the label in hand.
Heat exhaustion vs heat stroke
- Heat exhaustion: heavy sweating, cool clammy skin, weakness, nausea, fast weak pulse. Act now — shade, loosen PPE, cool water, sip fluids.
- Heat stroke (medical emergency): hot skin (sweating may stop), confusion, slurred speech, collapse, temp above 103°F. Call 911, cool aggressively (ice packs to neck/armpits/groin, cool water), do not give fluids to someone confused.
Working smart in PPE
- Front-load the day: heaviest work early; PPE-heavy tasks before 11am when possible.
- Hydrate on a schedule — roughly a cup every 15–20 minutes in heat, before you feel thirsty.
- Rotate the mix/load job among crew; that's the hottest, most encumbered position.
- Shade + cooler in the truck, always. Wet towel on the neck between loads.
- Watch each other — the person overheating is usually the last to notice.
Fatigue is a safety system, not a virtue test
Long spray days plus early starts erode judgment exactly when you're making drift and airspace decisions. Cap the day, and if you're making sloppy mistakes — missed lines, forgotten records — stop. A rushed 14th hour is where the expensive mistakes live.
Your field emergency action plan (write it down)
- This field's address/coordinates for 911 — know it before you need it
- Nearest hospital + route
- Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222 · CHEMTREC: 1-800-424-9300
- Product labels/SDS location in the truck
- Who calls, who meets the ambulance, who shuts down the aircraft
- Emergency contacts for every crew member
General occupational-health guidance; not medical advice. Related: PPE, spill response.
Want it flown for you?
FactorDrones holds a commercial FAA Part 107 unmanned aircraft license; our pesticide applicator license (and FAA Part 137) are in progress. Reserve a price now and we’ll fly when fully cleared — or keep learning.