Last Tuesday was the hottest day I've ever worked through - 107 degrees in Austin

I do landscaping and maintenance work outside, and last Tuesday hit 107 degrees by 2pm. The crew had to stop every 20 minutes to drink water and cool down in the truck. My boss finally called it quits at noon and sent us home. I'm wondering if we need to start shifting to early morning shifts during heat waves, or if that just pushes the problem around. Has anyone else dealt with losing work time to extreme heat like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_max2d ago

Have you looked into whether your workers comp covers heat related issues? It might put pressure on your boss to change scheduling if they realize a heat stroke claim costs more than lost afternoon hours. A buddy of mine in construction got his crew moved to 6 AM starts after his foreman got a nasty call from the insurance adjuster.

milesbailey2d ago

Hate to play devil's advocate but this is overblown. Workers comp is a pain for everyone involved. You file a claim and suddenly your boss is on your back about every little thing. Not worth the headache unless you're literally dying. Lots of guys in construction would rather just tough it out than deal with the paperwork and the suspicion. Plus most comp policies have heat exhaustion exclusions anyway. They'll fight you on it. Say it was a pre existing condition or you didn't drink enough water. Better to just negotiate with your boss directly. Threatening legal stuff just makes enemies.

the_thea2d ago

That water break schedule sounds brutal but totally necessary. What nobody's talking about is how the heat actually messes with the quality of the work you do get done, not just the quantity. I've seen crews push through and end up with shoddy work they have to redo later anyway.