Image courtesy Roofing Alliance
The Roofing Alliance unveiled a training course and report on heat stress in roofing. The “Heat Stress for Roofers Final Report” and training modules provide industry heat stress data and its effects on roofers including how to prevent heat-related illnesses, contributing risk factors, policies and regulations surrounding heat stress, and a guide for providing a workplace heat-related illness plan.
Kenneth Sands, professor at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Fla., led the research, which focused on three objectives:
- Real-time observation: Roof technicians were observed in action, studying their behaviors and responses while working under challenging conditions.
- Direct inquiry: Through structured interviews, technicians were engaged to gather firsthand insights about their experiences working in hot environments, shedding light on their challenges and strategies for coping.
- Comprehensive data collection: Employing advanced monitoring techniques, core body temperatures of technicians and environmental conditions they encountered were recorded. Equipment calibration and initial testing procedures were conducted to ensure reliability and accuracy of data.
Alison LaValley, executive director at the Roofing Alliance, says, “Special thanks go out to the Roofing Alliance task force chairman Rudy Gutierrez of Shell Roofing Solutions and his dedicated task force members, along with [Sands] and his team for their exemplary efforts in developing this invaluable resource.”
The “Heat Stress for Roofers Final Report” and training course are available on NRCA’s website.
