Occupational exposure to extreme temperature

This code signifies a patient's exposure to excessively high or low temperatures as a direct result of their work environment. It indicates a potential risk factor or an actual event where the occupational setting involved extreme thermal conditions. This exposure may or may not have resulted in a specific injury or illness.

Apply this code when documenting a patient's occupational history that includes working in environments with extreme heat (e.g., foundries, bakeries) or extreme cold (e.g., freezers, outdoor winter work). It is appropriate for surveillance, risk assessment, or when a patient presents with symptoms potentially related to such exposure, even if a definitive diagnosis like frostbite or heatstroke is not yet established or is coded separately.

• Always sequence this code as a secondary diagnosis when a specific injury or illness (e.g., frostbite, heatstroke) is also documented.
• Do not use this code for non-occupational exposure to extreme temperatures; use codes from category X30-X39 for environmental exposure.
• Consider additional codes to specify the type of extreme temperature (e.g., heat vs. cold) if more granular detail is available and relevant for the encounter.