How to Keep Your Crew and Construction Materials Warm in Cold Weather

How to Keep a Construction Site Warm in Cold Weather

Cold weather is the king of America. The average temperature in the United States in February 2021 was 30.6 degrees. 

That's cold enough to damage equipment and hurt construction employees. If you are sending workers out to a cold construction site, you have to find ways to keep the site warm. 

What tools can you buy to increase warmth? What are some environmental factors that can increase the severity of cold temperatures? What are the signs that your equipment is getting damaged and your workers are developing problems? 

Answer these questions and you can prevent the cold from ruining your construction operations. Here is your quick guide. 

Buy Material Heaters

There are several construction heating tools you can buy to warm up a construction site. Make-up air heaters pressurize the air in an enclosed space and distribute heat. They are a good option if you are working inside a warehouse or hanger, though they can work outside. 

Indirect heaters function similarly to furnaces. They use a fuel source like natural gas to heat the air and distribute it through a site. These heaters do produce exhaust, so you need to have space outside where they can release gases. 

Fire can act as a rudimentary way to heat a space. You can also use direct fire heaters, which rely on exposed flames to produce heat.

But a better option is an electric heater. It produces less of a fire risk and requires no ventilation while producing the same amount of heat as fire. 

You should heat up vulnerable pieces of equipment and sensitive areas like concrete installations. You can use PowerBlanket heaters and tank warmers to keep these items warm. PowerBlanket heaters require electric outlets, so make sure your construction site has access to electricity.

Be Conscious of Cold Stress

In addition to the low air temperature, you must be conscious of wind speed and air moisture. A day with mild temperatures can become cold if there are wind gusts and humid conditions. 

You can minimize the effects of wind speed by plotting your construction site in advance. Figure out the direction that the wind is blowing in and set up your location near a building facing that direction. The building will block most of the wind. 

To combat air moisture, you can buy dehumidifiers. You can also fix leaking pipes and wrap functioning ones in blankets. 

Mandate Warm Clothing 

Before you start a construction project in cold weather, you should talk to your employees. You should tell them about what temperatures and weather conditions they should expect. 

You should then tell them to wear warm clothing. You should require them to wear full-sleeved shirts, long pants, and thick jackets. You should also ask them to wear gloves and boots. 

Some workers don't like gloves because they limit how they move their fingers. You can provide thinner gloves that still keep their hands warm. 

Warm clothing should not be the only tool you use to keep your employees warm. But you should use it as a baseline for employee safety. Feel free to get space heaters and place them near workstations.

Require Breaks to Warm Up

Battery-powered tools will start to lose their efficiency once temperatures drop below 40 degrees. If you are using flashlights and drills outdoors, you should bring them in every hour or so. You should let them heat up indoors and check them for any signs of damage. 

You should do the same for heavy equipment. Bring compressors and pneumatic tools inside and place blankets over them. Check the compressors to see how much moisture they have and drain them accordingly. 

You should also give your workers a break to warm up. They can come inside, drink some hot beverages, and stretch to get their blood flowing. 

Watch for Frost Damage and Frostbite

Frost damage occurs due to freezing water. When water freezes, its volume expands, causing pressure to build. If enough time passes, a material like concrete can burst or crack. 

Wood can shrink as it becomes exposed to the cold. Once the temperature rises again, the wood can swell up, compromising the integrity of a structure. 

You can prevent frost damage by using ground thawing blankets. You can place them over any concrete or wooden surface. If you need to warm up the soil so you can break it down, you can also use them.

Do not use any material that shows significant signs of frost damage. Hold off on your project until you have a new supply of concrete or wood and move forward from there. 

The stages of frostbite in humans can progress rapidly. The skin can turn red after a few minutes in very cold conditions. After 30 minutes, the skin can grow blue and develop blisters. 

You must take a worker with frostbite inside to warm up. If they seem disoriented or have dark bumps on their skin, you should call an ambulance. Their tissues may be dying to a lack of blood.

Keep Your Construction Site Warm

Your construction site should not be freezing. You should buy plenty of heaters to warm the air and vulnerable equipment. 

Keep in mind that wind gusts and humidity can make a cold day even colder. Plot a site that will not be too windy and buy a dehumidifier. 

Bring your tools and workers inside so they can warm up. Be mindful of how frost damage and frostbite can quickly set in. 

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