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Colorectal cancer screening — MCCQE Part 1 MCQ

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EasyPreventive MedicineColorectal cancer screeningMCCQE Part 1

A healthy 24-year-old labourer is starting outdoor road work during a heat warning after spending the spring in a cool climate. He has not yet developed symptoms. Which workplace plan best reduces his risk of heat illness during the first week?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

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Correct answer: E — Increase heat exposure and workload gradually while providing water, work-rest cycles, and cool shaded breaks

A worker newly exposed to strenuous work in heat is unacclimatized and is at disproportionate risk during the first days. Prevention requires progressive exposure and workload rather than immediate full duties, together with cool drinking water, planned work-rest cycles, shaded or cooled rest areas, scheduling heavy tasks for cooler periods, and training to recognize symptoms. CCOHS advises that a new worker start with no more than about 20% exposure on day 1 and increase gradually. Thirst can lag behind fluid loss, while impermeable clothing adds heat burden. Salt tablets are not a substitute for a heat-control program and can cause harm when used indiscriminately. Confusion, collapse, or other neurologic change would suggest heat stroke and require immediate emergency cooling and transport, not continued acclimatization.

Reference: Government of Canada, Thermal stress in the work place: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/health-safety/reports/thermal-stress-work-place.html; CCOHS, Hot Environments—Assessment and Control Measures: https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/phys_agents/heat/heat_control.html?wbdisable=true