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Construction Finance Safety Minute: Managing the Heat

June 18, 2018 Uncategorized 2 Comments

construction finance safety tips

 

As most of you are probably all too aware, we are very much in the dog days of summer right now.

As you are also probably aware, this adds another element of risk to your already difficult jobs.

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Now, odds are, you’ve already read over a few summer construction safety tips before. However, as both a neurotic lawyer and the wife of a construction company owner who doesn’t know how to listen to me, I’m going to go over a few bits of summer safety again.  Because trust me, trips to the ER aren’t great for productivity or your bottom line.

1.  Stay hydrated.

I know this is the most obvious piece of advice ever, but seriously, pretend you’re a freakin’ camel.  If you feel thirsty, it means you’re already dehydrated, so don’t wait until you’re just dying for a water break to do something about it.

And no, Mountain Dew and coffee do not count as staying hydrated.

2.  Get enough sleep.

Hot weather is tiring on your body.  Hot weather also messes with your circadian rhythm.  As such, it’s really easy to fall victim to sleep deprivation during the summer months.

When you go home at night, keep your room cool, and don’t stay up all night.

I know. I’m sounding like your mom here, but dang it, moms have good advice about these things.

3.  If you can, avoid going in and out of air conditioning all day.

This one is counterintuitive–if you’re spending 80% of the day out in the hot sun, it feels great to get a ten minute air conditioning break whenever you can.  However, going back and forth makes it harder for your body to adjust to the heat, so ultimately, you’re just making the situation worse.

Instead, find a shady area to drink some water.  That will help you cool off without the drastic temperature change.

4.  If you can, cool your head and neck.

You have a lot of blood running through these areas, so if they stay cool, you’ll stay cool.

All of these summer safety tips are courtesy of ForConstructionPros.com, so to read more, feel free to click on over to 12 Safety Tips to Help Workers Survive Another Nuclear Summer.  Otherwise, go sit in the shade and drink some water.



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About the Author

Tipper Coker

Lawyer. Vice president of business development. Hopeless nerd who's read far too many AIA contracts.