It’s Hot Out There

Among the obvious statements we could make for the July issue, let’s mention the importance of communicating the sense of caring to our workforce. Comfortable, healthy workers are productive and safe in their practices. Overheated, sunburned workers are probably moving more slowly by 2:00 p.m. than they were at 9:00 a.m. and could be stumbling over tools if not collapsing from heat exhaustion.

I don’t mean to paint a negative picture for our industry. I’m aware that companies employ the buddy system to look out for one another in the work zone and around facilities, and companies have safety protocols in place to prevent overheating. The national emphasis program (NEP) that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) put in place a couple years ago came about after our industry had already taken the initiative to ensure our workers knew the signs of heat exhaustion before it developed to heatstroke.

Members of our industry have taken the initiative to show one another how to build cooling trailers you can tow from job site to job site for workers to visit during breaks. We already have troubleshooting guides to set up cooling mechanisms on the back of the paver and bullet point lists of ice-related treats a summer intern could be paid to drive out to the milling, grading or paving crew each afternoon. Now, not every company has been eager to put schematics in a print magazine for fear of litigation if the blueprint wasn’t followed correctly and so on, but the point is folks have been willing to share basic concepts.

Especially online.

Now that we’re in the height of paving season, I encourage members of the AsphaltPro audience to share ideas for keeping workers cool and out of the heat exhaustion danger zone. We have a facebook page where your peers interact with good ideas all the time. Let’s engage that group for the best health of our workforce.

And here’s my original point. As an industry, we should be reminding workers that we care for one another. We’re not preventing heatstroke merely because we want to have productive workers who are at the top of their game. We’re preventing heatstroke because we want to see each and every one of our colleagues and teammates going home and returning to work safely tomorrow.

The new guy who gets assigned to the flagger position needs someone to check on him. Just because he’s not directly above a 320-degree mat or next to a hot engine fan doesn’t mean he’s out of danger. He’s exposed to the same high ambient temperature you are, but he’s not acclimated to it yet.

That acclimation is a point OSHA’s stressing as of late, and it’s one to pay attention to. The worker you’ve just brought on board isn’t a grizzled veteran of our industry. Now don’t call him soft; He’s new. Don’t call him weak; He’s human. Don’t think of looking out for him as coddling him; You’re protecting him from succumbing to heat exhaustion (or worse) while his body adjusts to a new normal. By watching out for each other out there, you help those new workers stay alive. Especially when it’s hot as blazes in July.

Check out articles for best hot-weather paving tips at TheAsphaltPro.com and keep each other safe out there.

Stay Safe,

Sandy Lender