PHOENIX (AZFamily) — For the first time, Arizona has statewide safety regulations requiring water, shade, and a place to rest on all outdoor job sites — a change advocates say was long overdue as workers labor in triple-digit temperatures.
Workers describe extreme conditions
Aaron McDonald, apprenticeship coordinator for Ironworkers Local 75 in Phoenix, said workers on some structures face temperatures far beyond what thermometers read at ground level.
“You get up to the top of some of these structures that are galvanized roof deck. Not only am I getting that reflection all day long, but I’m going to add that structural heat to it. So we’re working in temperatures of 140 degrees at some point,” McDonald said.
McDonald has worked construction in Arizona’s extreme heat for more than two decades…