SAFETY TALK
Even early in the day, heat exposure starts building fast. Plans for hydration, shade and smart prep should be in place before the first piece of gear leaves the truck.
Engineering Heat Safety
Avoid the impact of this silent threat by incorporating effective practices in your lift plan
By Michelle Marsh
In summer conditions, workers are exposed to intense solar radiation, elevated surface temperatures on materials like steel decking and high ambient humidity that increases the risk of heat-related stress. And while some trades pull back, lift operations keep moving. Timelines stay tight, equipment keeps cycling and precision work at height doesn’ t stop just because the temperature is rising.
But there’ s a silent threat threading through every shift: heat stress. And it doesn’ t just affect comfort but erodes safety one symptom at a time.
Heat Doesn’ t Ask Permission
Operating a lift in the summer isn’ t just another shift; it can be a grind against biology. Whether you’ re in an aerial work platform, working from a hoist basket or staging lifts on hot concrete, you’ re battling glare, sweat and often minimal airflow.
That heat builds up fast. Gloves get slick, grip strength fades and vision can go hazy. And all it takes is one misstep or shaky movement 20 feet in the air for a routine task to turn risky. Down below as well, spotters can be standing on black top that radiates heat like a skillet. Some days, there’ s nowhere to hide, and the symptoms of heat stress— dizziness, fatigue, blurry concentration— don’ t show up like a red warning light, but creep in quietly and quickly.
The Time To Stop Is Now It’ s not about being“ tough.” It’ s about being smart. If someone on your crew looks glassy-eyed, is moving slowly or is unsteady on their feet— don’ t wait. Pause the lift. Step in. It’ s smarter for your schedule to take a 10-minute breather instead of experiencing a dropped load or a collapsed operator.
Set the expectation from day one: safety always overrides the stopwatch. Shade and water stations are just the table stakes. A real heat protocol goes much deeper:
• Pre-Planned Cooldowns: Waiting until someone drops is how bad days get worse. Bake heat breaks into your daily plan and not“ if we have time,” but because it’ s part of the job. Your timeline should flex for bodies and not just beams.
• Jobsite Cool Zones: Fans. Misters. Pop-up tents. Ice water. It’ s not overkill when it’ s survival gear. Don’ t let“ we didn’ t plan for that” turn into“ we had a medical emergency.” Make cool zones visible, accessible and well stocked.
• Rotate the Roles: Rotate ground crews on a clock before the fatigue hits, not after. Trading off tasks and cycling in shade time helps keep bodies moving and alert.
• Hydration Monitoring: Assign a designated crew member to monitor hydration and help ensure all team members are taking regular opportunities to drink fluid( i. e. water) and stay properly hydrated throughout the workday.
• Monitor Conditions: Heat index isn’ t just a number but a jobsite variable. Use weather apps, smart alerts or even a heat flag system to gauge the
16 l July-August 2025