This month, Turner Construction will study 200 construction workers in the Midwest to measure the impact of heat. The research team consists of Turner Construction and its foundation, Colorado’s Flatiron Construction, insurance providers Liberty Mutual and Chubb, and health research nonprofit La Isla Network.
Last year, Turner Construction initiated a three-day pilot study in collaboration with La Isla Network, based in Alpharetta, Georgia. During the study, workers ingested a pill-sized data collection device, which stayed in their bodies for 24 hours, providing continuous internal body temperature data. The findings revealed that 43% of the 33 participants had core body temperatures exceeding 100.4 degrees, even under cooler-than-average summer conditions. Mónika Serrano, Turner Resilience Program Manager, highlighted the critical need for regular hydration from morning through the day, regardless of the weather conditions or physical activity involved.
According to Chris McFadden, Turner’s vice president of communications and marketing, the ongoing research is set to be more extensive than the initial pilot, aiming to yield additional insights and strategies for managing heat exposure effectively.
Steve Spaulding, Turner’s Vice President and Chief Environmental Health and Safety Officer, explained that climate considerations are integral to all their project planning. This includes setting up hydration and shade stations at job sites to offer relief from the heat. An innovative approach was also noted at a San Diego site, where bathrooms featured urine color charts to help workers monitor their hydration levels.
