While most of us have the luxury of working indoors on these extremely hot days, LTU crews are taking precautions as they continue to work on street projects throughout the city. “The heat certainly adds a lot of stress on our crews, the materials they are trying to work, the equipment they need to run to do their jobs,” says LTU Maintenance Operations manager Tim Byrne.
To make sure workers stay safe Byrne says they are making adjustments to their schedules. “Can we plan to get some concrete poured earlier in the morning versus later in the afternoon, what changes can we make as far as placing of asphalt. We’re doing crack sealing knowing that those materials aren’t going to cool as fast once they are down in these temperatures.”
Byrne says they talk with their crews about the symptoms of heat stress and employees have to take more frequent breaks. Workers are also instructed to keep an eye on the person working next to them to make sure they aren’t suffering from the affects of the heat.