How To Stay Cool At A Construction Site

Construction sites can be exceptionally hot during the summer. Workers need ways to beat the heat and prevent heat-related illnesses. We've gathered up easy ways to stay cool at a construction site. If you want more construction advice or want to explore construction equipment for sale, check out Bobcat of York, Frederick, Hagerstown, Lancaster, and Adams County. We have multiple locations throughout Maryland and Pennsylvania, so find out your nearest location today!

Know Warning Signs Of Heat-Related Illness

Do everything you can to stay cool at your construction site, but also make sure you know the red flags for heat-caused sickness. These include rapid heart rate, excessive thirst, a headache, and dizziness. Anyone who begins experiencing these symptoms should take a break right away.

Hydrate On A Schedule

Sure, everyone knows it's important to stay hydrated. But it's easy to forget to consistently drink water.

Start long before your shift. Drink plenty of water at home and avoid/limit drinks that dehydrate you (such as coffee and soda). Once you begin working, try to drink water or electrolyte drinks every 20 minutes. When the work day ends, continue drinking plenty of water. Try to limit your consumption of alcohol after work, which will dehydrate you in a way that you might not feel until the next work day.

Get A Haircut

You may enjoy rocking longer hair. But extra hair will keep heat trapped around your neck, making you more uncomfortable during summer construction site work. Consider a shorter haircut in the summer. You can always grow it back out in the fall.

Take Strategic Breaks

Taking a proactive break before you feel sick can actually be the most productive approach. A "keep you from feeling overheated" break takes less time than the "you're already overheated and need to cool down" break. Remember that construction sites are much hotter in the summer, so you'll need more breaks than you would in the cooler months.

Try to do more than simply take a break. Try to rest in the shade or a cool area (such as a room with air conditioning or portable fans).

Wear The Right Clothing

Always wear whatever safety gear your construction site requires, even if that means full-length sturdy clothing. But when you have some leeway on what to wear, use it to your advantage. Opt for light colored, lightweight, and loose-fitting clothing. Try to get clothes that also offer ventilation, breathability and/or sweat-wicking features.

Apply Wet Cloth To Pulse Points

This is an easy trick to cool down faster. Get a cold, wet cloth. Place it on your pulse points such as your neck, elbow, and wrists.

Plan Out Your Schedule

If you can, try to begin work in the early hours. The temperature will be much lower in the morning. Aim to complete the most physically demanding tasks in the cooler parts of the day as well. You can use the heat index as a resource. This number uses the air temperature and relative humidity to tell you what the temperature actually feels like.

Give Yourself Time To Adjust To The Heat

Maybe you are just starting a new job. Maybe you are coming back from vacation. Maybe summer came out of nowhere and temperatures dramatically skyrocketed. In these situations, it's important to remember that your body is not adjusted yet to the heat. Start your work at about half your normal output and slowly increase your efforts over the next few days. This will help prevent getting sick from working too hard before your body is ready.

We hope you found these summer construction site tips useful! For more construction tips or to shop construction equipment for sale, visit Bobcat of York, Frederick, Hagerstown, Lancaster, and Adams County. We proudly serve those in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Baltimore, Maryland.