Heaters and Cooling Units for the Job

Construction stands as one of the largest industries in the entire United States today, having a worth of nearly $1 trillion. Countless Americans are employed by many different construction contractors, and they are hard at work building houses, office buildings, schools, banks, and more. This is demanding work, however, and often takes place outdoors. This is especially true in a building’s earlier phases, when there are no finished walls or roofs to protect workers from the elements. For this reason, worker safety should always be at the fore of a manager’s mind. Heating and cooling can be done outdoors, such as propane heater rentals in winter. Workers who face heat, humidity, or cold may need portable units set up to protect them, and this doesn’t end with propane heater rentals. Temporary cooling can be done when fans are set up, or if dehumidifier rental is done to lower humidity in the air. Humid air in a building makes a person warmer, so dehumidifiers can go a long way toward preventing heat exhaustion or even heat stroke. When is it time for propane heater rentals? And what else can be done to prevent heat stroke or hypothermia?

The Human Body and Temperature

One may first consider the science of how the human body reacts to temperature. A person who gets too hot may face some medical issues, such as heat exhaustion, heat cramps, or worst of all, heat stroke (which can even be fatal). Overheating is a real concern when construction workers are at work in summer, exposed to the hot sun. Heat issues can cause a worker to collapse, and even send them to the hospital. A very humid environment can make this worse, since water easily holds heat, so a lot of water in the air makes it tougher to cool down. Humidity also boosts allergens. Overall, indoor humidity below 50% can help reduce rates of allergic reactions.

Intense cold is another issue. Hypothermia is a real threat, and can be made worse when there is a strong wind chill. This happens when a person’s body drops below 95 degrees Fahrenheit, and it can send someone to the hospital and interfere with work. Indoor heaters such as propane heater rentals can help prevent this.

Protect Your Crew
Modern, portable technology allows any project manager to warm up or cool down crew members during a summer or winter construction project. In winter, for example, propane heater rentals means that such units can be set up all over the construction site. These heaters might be most effective in the building’s completed walls, where the wind chill won’t negate the heated air as much. In the cold, workers may also wear coats, parkas, leggings under their pants, thick boots, and more to protect themselves. Gloves can protect the hands, and workers might even wear goggles to protect their eyes from cold, dry winds.

What about summer? Workers can be protected from heat exhaustion or heat stroke by a number of means, such as wearing light, breathable clothing that allows them to cool down. Workers may also have access to cold, refreshing drinks on the work site, and they may need to take frequent breaks to cool off. And in the hallways of a partly completed building, dehumidifiers can be set up to do just that: lower the air’s humidity. This doesn’t make the air cooler, but it can reduce rates of overheating among workers.

OSHA, for example, has set some safe guidelines for what indoor work temperatures should be. This can also apply to construction workers inside a building as they are working on it. A minimum indoor temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit and a maximum temperature of 76 degrees. While outdoor jobs are not bound by temperature regulations, construction workers can use such figures as a guideline for temperature while working inside a building.

Workers can also stay safe when they wear the right colors. Construction workers are known for wearing yellow and orange outfits, and this is to make them stand out on the work site. The intent is to make their outline clearly defined, the opposite of camouflage. Reflective strips of tape help them stand out at night, when vehicle headlights shine on them. This helps prevent blunt trauma.