How to Prepare Your Roofing Crew For Extreme Heat

RCS Influencer Kendall Ekerson from Simply Affordable Roofing offers a few ways their company handles the problem of heat stress.

In Oregon we don't typically see crazy hot weather, but we have a few weeks every spring and a few extended periods in the summer when it gets really hot. The hardest part is every year in spring we can go from 55 degrees and raining to 80-90 overnight. Our bodies don't have time to adjust and it can cause heat related illness very easily. Once we hit the summer months it is a little more predictable and we can watch the weather reports closely just like we do the rest of the year regarding rainfall. Here are a few things we do every year to get prepared and what we would recommend if you are in a similar climate as us:

Preparations for rising temperatures 

• Establish your own heat safety policy 
  • Include requirements for more rest breaks throughout the day 
  • Discuss if your working hours may need to change to avoid the peak heat of the day 
  • Evaluate if you need to add more hours to bids to reflect the change in production  
  • Establish a process for: 
    • How will the job be carried out differently during certain temperature thresholds, i.e. limited work hours, additional rest breaks, cooldown stations, having cool water available, etc. 
    • Corrective measures if the rules are not followed 
• Start your heat safety talks early before the temperatures start to rise 
  • Teach ALL employees about signs of heat stress/stroke and how to treat it. If someone feels sick or dizzy this could be the first sign of serious heat stress, and if untreated could be very serious or fatal. Anyone experiencing symptoms needs to be monitored closely, not left alone in the shade. If conditions worsen, call 9-1-1 immediately. 
  • Teach your employees about proper hydration, it's about a lot more than just drinking water when you're thirsty. Caffeine and alcohol can have significant effects and should be kept to a minimum. If you are thirsty, or not going to the bathroom as often, this is a sign of dehydration, and you need to be consuming more water. 
  • Review this topic often throughout hot months, and in the early spring before it gets hot so people are mentally prepared. 
• Be prepared with water 
  • Have a policy about providing ice and water 
  • Every company vehicle should have a water jug, or each job site should have at least two gallons of cool water available for every employee present. If on a semi-permanent jobsite, a five-gallon jug with water and ice should be replenished daily.  
  • Include budgets for foreman to provide these, or a reimbursement policy if more water is needed 
  • You can buy water and gatorade in pallets so that it is ready to go 
• Have superintendents, project managers and anyone else visiting job sites be prepared with water, ice, or other items that may be needed in heat 
• Add shade as a jobsite checklist item 
  • During a pre-job walk, establish an area where people can take a break out of the sun. 
  • Provide a canopy tent if no spot easily exists 
• Delegate someone to be the water and break monitor 
  • This person would remind people to drink water and take breaks 
  • If needed they can time and regulate when everyone has taken a break 
  • Give more rest breaks than normal 

Finally, take this seriously, no one wants to get the call that a worker is sick and especially if one is going to a hospital. Heat stroke can happen fast and it is completely avoidable. Stay safe out there and take care of eachother.