Learn Tips to Stay Cool in Record Heat

Safety
Published

A record heat wave is causing the mercury to hit triple digits on many jobsites across the country. Ensuring employees and contractors are regularly hydrated and protected from the sun during hot months is essential to the health and safety of workers.

NAHB’s Heat Stress Safety Toolkit can help members be prepared to take precautions to protect against possible heat related illnesses and/or injuries. The toolkit provides key insights on preventing and identifying heat stress, and includes downloadable resources and videos available in English and Spanish.

Heat stress can be particularly dangerous because most residential construction professionals are used to working in the heat of summer. But acclimatization within a season is crucial to staying safe. If the normal high temperatures in your area are in the high 80s and a heat wave suddenly brings readings in the high 90s, the first few days are going to be the most dangerous because of lack of acclimatization.

Employers and workers should be sure to have plans in place to provide access to plenty of water and take adequate breaks when needed, as well as access to shade or cool-down areas. Employers and workers should also consider shifting work schedules to times of day when temperatures are lower, such as early morning to mid-day.

This summer, the Las Cruces Home Builders Association (LCHBA) helped its local community stay cool. The HBA delivered popsicles, cold water and sunglasses to residential construction workers on jobsites. The drop-ins were an opportunity to help workers cool down, but also show appreciation for their hard work, said Nicole Perez, executive officer, LCHBA.

To access the heat safety toolkit and other safety resources, visit nahb.org.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Advocacy

Oct 22, 2025

NAHB Recommends Permitting Improvements to EPA and Corps

On Oct. 16, NAHB met with political leadership from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) to discuss the agencies’ regulatory priorities for 2026 and beyond.

Advocacy

Oct 21, 2025

Senate Panel Passes NAHB-Backed Forestry Bill

The Senate, Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee today advanced the Fix Our Forest Act, NAHB-supported legislation that will contribute to better forest management practices, help strengthen the nation’s housing supply chain and promote affordable housing opportunities for all Americans.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Oct 20, 2025

Non-Conventional Financing for New Home Sales Loses Ground in 2024

Nationwide, the share of non-conventional financing for new home sales accounted for 31% of the market per NAHB analysis of the 2024 Census Bureau Survey of Construction (SOC) data. This is 1.7 percentage point lower than the 2023 share of 32.4%. As in previous years, conventional financing dominated the market at 69.3% of sales, higher than the 2023 share of 67.6%.

Economics

Oct 17, 2025

Better Growth, Larger Deficits: CBO Fiscal Outlook

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is a key nonpartisan score keeper that measures the effects of policy changes by the Federal Government. With several policy changes since January of this year, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), stricter immigration, and higher tariffs, the CBO updated its economic projections through 2028.

Economics

Oct 16, 2025

Amid Market Challenges, Builder Expectations Rise in October

Even as builders continue to grapple with market and macroeconomic uncertainty, sentiment levels posted a solid gain in October as future sales expectations surpassed the 50-point breakeven mark for the first time since last January.