We are far from strangers to the Southwest heat. With temperatures reaching record numbers each summer, our Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) team stays vigilant about our teammates’ well-being by implementing site-specific Heat Illness and Injury Prevention Plans (HIPP), a vital component of our Inclement Weather Safe Work Procedure.
The HIPP includes certain requirements and mitigations designed to allow our teams to proactively address heat exposure hazards on each of our construction projects.
Components include the following actions and efforts to protect our teammates and lessen the impact of heat exposure:
- Adjustment of work hours to limit the amount of time our teams are in the full Southwest sun
- Supply of hydration that is 55 degrees or cooler
- Ice deliveries to water stations
- Set up of cooling stations and fans
- Providing helmet pads and cooling towels to wear with PPE
- Providing designated covered work areas
- Handouts of electrolyte-replenishing freezer pops, like Sqwinchers and similar brands.
- Recommendation of breaks per the NIOSH work/rest schedule
- Daily communication about drinking water and its impact on ongoing productivity
As OSHA standards evolve in our industry, we continuously strengthen our processes to prioritize our teammates’ safety on every job.
While our workforce has to be even more diligent in drinking water, eating well throughout the day, and getting enough rest, we do everything we can to support this holistic approach to health. We communicate to our team to do their part in taking care of themselves so we can ultimately take care of them as an employer. Safety success depends on all of us.
