Thousands of construction workers are back on site as many New Zealanders enjoy the summer break, often working through increasingly hot conditions.
With hotter-than-usual temperatures already being felt across the country, safety experts warn heat stress can impair judgement and increase the risk of serious injury. But the construction industry’s workplace safety training body says heat management is still too often treated as a “nice to have”, rather than an essential part of site safety.
Site Safe chief executive Brett Murray said there were no specific temperature thresholds in New Zealand or Australian legislation that require work to stop.
“There’s nothing in New Zealand legislation, or actually even Australian legislation, that says when a temperature reaches a certain point you have to stop work, which puts the onus back on the companies to manage that and manage it effectively,” he said.
Construction Health and Safety New Zealand said the risk of injury increased with every additional degree of heat.
Chief executive Chris Alderson said even small changes in temperature can affect workers’ safety.
“Even just basic things like perspiration, sweaty hands when you’re holding onto tools, when you lose your grip on things, that can be an issue,” he said.
Murray said the industry had made progress in recent years, particularly around sun protection and awareness of UV-related risks, but that has created new challenges.
"The industry has done pretty well through a lot of the work with the Cancer Society and others in raising awareness of the dangers of UV," he said.
"The flip side of that, though, is that with people covering up, we need to make sure their clothing is light enough so they're not just sweating."
Both organisations are calling on companies and site managers to take greater responsibility for managing heat risks. That includes providing breathable, lightweight clothing, scheduling regular rest breaks, and ensuring workers have access to shade and water.
"Making sure people aren't just sitting out in the sun on their breaks, but are actually getting into the shade and rehydrating, makes a big difference," Alderson said.
The message from safety leaders is that effective heat management does not have to be expensive, but it does need to be treated as essential rather than optional.
However, industry leaders say dedicated shade, water and rest areas are not always standard practice across the country.
"Having water on site is often an issue," Alderson said. "Not all sites actually have all the infrastructure there, particularly if you're out on the road or in more remote locations."
At a Wellington construction site this week, workers were making the most of cooler conditions before the summer heat returned.
"I think we almost got to 25 last week," said Naylor Love project manager Simon Horrocks.
While that may seem mild compared with international heat extremes, industry leaders say heat stress remains a real and growing issue on many New Zealand construction sites.
At the Naylor Love site in Wellington, heat safety was treated as a daily priority. Workers were briefed each morning on weather conditions and reminded about hydration and sun protection.
"Every morning we do a pre-start or a bit of a briefing of the day," Horrocks said.
"We talk about the weather conditions, what's coming up, and we offer some sunscreen and point out where all the hydration facilities are on site that day."
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