diff --git a/rq/worker.py b/rq/worker.py
index 831fe03..6c63d11 100644
--- a/rq/worker.py
+++ b/rq/worker.py
@@ -714,3 +714,81 @@ class SimpleWorker(Worker):
     def execute_job(self, *args, **kwargs):
         """Execute job in same thread/process, do not fork()"""
         return self.perform_job(*args, **kwargs)
+
+
+class ShutDownImminentException(Exception):
+    def __init__(self, msg, extra_info):
+        self.extra_info = extra_info
+        super(ShutDownImminentException, self).__init__(msg)
+
+
+class HerokuWorker(Worker):
+    """
+    Modified version of rq worker which:
+    * stops work horses getting killed with SIGTERM
+    * sends SIGRTMIN to work horses on SIGTERM to the main process so they can crash as they wish
+    Note: coverage doesn't work inside the forked thread so code expected to be processed there has pragma: no cover
+    """
+    imminent_shutdown_delay = 8
+
+    def main_work_horse(self, job, queue):
+        """Modified entry point which ignores SIGINT and SIGTERM and only handles SIGRTMIN"""
+        random.seed()
+
+        signal.signal(signal.SIGRTMIN, self.handle_shutdown_imminent)
+        signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, signal.SIG_IGN)
+        signal.signal(signal.SIGTERM, signal.SIG_IGN)
+
+        self._is_horse = True
+        self.log = logger
+
+        success = self.perform_job(job, queue)
+        os._exit(int(not success))
+
+    def request_stop(self, signum, frame):
+        """Stops the current worker loop but waits for child processes to
+        end gracefully (warm shutdown).
+        """
+        self.log.debug('Got signal {0}'.format(signal_name(signum)))
+
+        signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, self.request_force_stop)
+        signal.signal(signal.SIGTERM, self.request_force_stop)
+
+        # start altered {
+        if self.horse_pid != 0:
+            self.log.warning('Warm shut down requested, sending horse SIGRTMIN signal')
+            try:
+                os.kill(self.horse_pid, signal.SIGRTMIN)
+            except OSError as e:
+                if e.errno != errno.ESRCH:
+                    self.log.debug('Horse already down')
+                    raise
+        else:
+            self.log.warning('Warm shut down requested, no horse found')
+        # } end altered
+
+        # If shutdown is requested in the middle of a job, wait until
+        # finish before shutting down
+        if self.get_state() == 'busy':
+            self._stop_requested = True
+            self.log.debug('Stopping after current horse is finished. '
+                           'Press Ctrl+C again for a cold shutdown.')
+        else:
+            raise StopRequested()
+
+    def handle_shutdown_imminent(self, signum, frame):
+        if self.imminent_shutdown_delay == 0:
+            logger.warn('Imminent shutdown, raising ShutDownImminentException immediately')
+            self.force_shutdown(signum, frame)
+        else:
+            logger.warn('Imminent shutdown, raising ShutDownImminentException in %d seconds',
+                        self.imminent_shutdown_delay)
+            signal.signal(signal.SIGALRM, self.force_shutdown)
+            signal.alarm(self.imminent_shutdown_delay)
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def force_shutdown(signum, frame):
+        info = {attr: getattr(frame, attr) for attr in ['f_code', 'f_exc_traceback', 'f_exc_type', 'f_exc_value',
+                                                        'f_lasti', 'f_lineno', 'f_locals', 'f_restricted', 'f_trace']}
+        logger.warn('raising ShutDownImminentException to cancel job...')
+        raise ShutDownImminentException('shut down imminent (signal: %s)' % signal_name(signum), info)