Outdoor Workers Exposed to Wildfire Smoke

Wildfires may present a major health hazard to outdoor workers from exposure to smoke. Image by NIOSH.
Wildland fires include wildfires, prescribed fires (intentionally set fires for ecological benefit), and fires occurring in the wildland-urban interface (where wildland vegetation and urban areas meet).
Wildfire Smoke and Outdoor Work
Additional Resources
NIOSH
- Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
- Construction Safety and Health
- NIOSH Science Blog: Non-occupational Uses of Respiratory Protection – What Public Health Organizations and Users Need to Know
- NIOSH Science Blog: Protecting Workers and the Public from Wildfire Smoke
- Health Hazard Evaluation, Evaluation of Fire Debris Cleanup Employees’ Exposure to Silica, Asbestos, Metals, and Polyaromatic Hydrocarbon
- Hazards During Cleanup Following Wildfires
- NIOSH Approved® Filtering Facepiece Respirators
Other Agency Resources
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
- Wildfire Worker Training Program
- Worker Health and Safety: Protecting Yourself during Wildfire Cleanup Fact Sheet
- Protecting Yourself While Responding to Wildfires: Safety and Health Awareness for Responders to Wildfires
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Cal/OSHA
University of California, Los Angeles Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program