A construction site is a place where many crews will work together to build a building, whether an office, a bank, or a school, and there will also be a number of hazards to watch out for. Workers may be exposed to open flames or airborne particles or harmful fumes, or they may get body parts trapped in machines or under heavy items, or vehicles such as bulldozers might accidentally run them over. Even if all these hazards are avoided, the workers are still doing a physically demanding job outdoors, and this means setting up the right equipment so that these workers’ safety is maintained. Temporary heating for construction, for example, may be done in winter or in generally cold states or nations like Canada or Finland, and northern American states may often have cold weather such as Minnesota or Alaska. Workers may suffer if they are too cold or too warm during work conditions, and for this reason, temporary heating for construction sites or ways to cool down should always be available to keep everyone safe on the work site. A dehumidifier might be used too inside a new building to both lower rates of heat exhaustion, and to get rid of humidity that may compromise the construction materials themselves.
Workers and Safety
Exposure to great heat or cold may affect a worker’s health while they are on a construction site, and these issues can be a threat to human safety and slow down the project at the same time, and no one wants that to happen. For example, OSHA standards demand that a workplace indoor temperature be no lower than 68 degrees Fahrenheit, and it should not exceed 76 degrees Fahrenheit, but workers should note that no such standards exist for businesses that operate outdoors. Workers building an office building that does not yet have its own heating system, for example, may get very cold working in that structure unless temporary heating for construction work is set up.
Extremes of heat, cold, or humidity can pose threats to worker safety, and this is why rental heaters or rental air conditioner units can be set up at the work site. If a work place is too hot, workers may suffer heat exhaustion at the very least, and this can slow down their work or force a worker to rest. Heat cramps may also occur, which are a bigger threat, and worst of all, heat stroke may not just stop productivity but can threaten a life. This happens when the body constricts its blood vessels to reduce warmth to such a degree that not enough blood gets to the brain, and this can be deadly if serious enough or if treatment is not done in time. A construction manager can help prevent this by renting and setting up temporary air conditioner units, as well as allowing more frequent work breaks as well as offering cold water or other beverages to workers.
By contrast, workers in a very cold environment such as an Alaskan winter will need protection from the intense cold, starting with wearing parks, gloves, boots, and other warm clothing, not to mention hoods or hats. They may also want temporary heating for construction sites set up, and these heaters can create ambient heat to reduce chances of hypothermia on the work site. By definition, hypothermia happens when the body’s internal temperature drops below 95 degrees Fahrenheit, as opposed to the standard temperature of 98.6 degrees. This may be especially important in the early stages of construction, when the building does not yet have walls or windows to block cold winds.
Dehumidifiers can be set up to reduce humidity inside a mostly-complete building, and this can cut down on allergy rates and mold development. Humidity below 50%, in general, can go a long way to helping prevent allergies in workers, and this can reduce workplace illness. And no matter what type of devices are set up, whether heaters or air conditioning, these systems should be placed on the work site wherever workers are found, and their power usage should not interfere with other work, and the power cables should be arranged so that they are not a hazard on the work site.