With nowhere to hide, these workers are left with no choice but to endure sizzling temps

It was so hot Tuesday that Chris Kelly had to pull his roofing crew from their regularly scheduled job.

“Once it hits about 85 or 90 degrees, we don’t even install because the shingles will heat up to the point that walking on them will scar them,” said Kelly, owner of KCS Roofing in Greensburg. “You’ll see boot prints on them.”

Kelly’s was one of myriad businesses and countless workers around the region impacted by the scorching heat. Temperatures reached into the mid-90s, and the “real-­feel” temperature danced around 100 degrees.

An extreme heat warning remains in effect until 8 p.m. Wednesday.

For those who earn a living working outdoors, there was nowhere to hide.

On the ground

At 7 a.m. Tuesday, a crew of four landscapers from Kubrick Brothers Garden Center in Plum got to work trimming, digging and planting at a house in Cheswick.

With the temperature at a staggering 92 before noon, Jeremy Ricketts, 34, Logan O’Donnell, 20, Brady Kemp, 24, and Brian Baker, 47, had already cleared out 4 tons of dirt from the yard.

The crew said they would continue to work no matter the temperature.

“Obviously, this work isn’t for everyone,” Baker said. “Not everyone can take the heat.”

After landscaping for more than 10 years, Baker said, he is used to extreme summer heat. After coming home from a day in the sun, he said, he actually finds himself reaching for a blanket to stop chills resulting from being indoors with air conditioning.

To combat dehydration, each of the crew members carries an insulated Yeti water bottle and takes breaks as needed, Ricketts said. When temperatures get really high, many homeowners offer them food and drinks.

Eight crew members from Swank Construction could be seen — hard hats on and sweat dripping — working at 6 a.m. Tuesday in Downtown Pittsburgh.

By 1 p.m., they continued laboring to repair a divider in the middle of Veterans Bridge. Dave Hezlet and Brian Buekre said the crew wouldn’t wrap up for the day until roughly 3 p.m.

With no option not to finish the job Tuesday, “drinking lots of water” was the only thing they could do to manage the heat, Hezlet said.

On the roof

In Latrobe, KSL Roofing and Remodeling owner Kurt Lewis said he stocked up on “cases and cases of Gatorade and water” in preparation for rooftop jobs this week.

“The main difference with me is I don’t subcontract to outside work crews,” Lewis said. “We have all in-house employees, and we treat them like family. A lot of time with subcontractors, people will just tell them to go do the job and figure out how to deal with the heat.”

In extreme heat, Lewis said, he plots out roofing jobs to avoid stepping on asphalt shingles that have softened in the hot sun.

“We’ll do certain sections so that we don’t have to walk back over our previous work,” he said. “And if we do have to walk over it, we have foam we can put down so you can step without damaging shingles. We’ve even occasionally used a hose and sprayed the roof to cool it down.”

Increased safety protocols

When the temperature outside rises to potentially dangerous levels for road crews, PennDOT conducts safety talks before each shift and makes sure workers watch for signs of heat illness, said District 11 spokesman Steve Cowan.

Crew members are encouraged to use sunscreen and to wear light, loose-fitting clothes, he said.

Workers rotate to limit their time around hot material, in direct sunlight or performing excessive manual labor, Cowan said. They are provided water breaks and are permitted to take short breaks in a vehicle or shaded area in extreme heat.

“We are actively working with our crews to keep them safe while also getting our work done,” said Robb Dean, assistant district executive for maintenance for neighboring PennDOT District 12. “If weather conditions change, warranting an alteration in operations, our staff will make those adjustments as necessary.”