Road builders brave heat, scorching asphalt

For members of Local 1010, the Laborers' union representing road builders and asphalt pavers, a 100-degree day means standing for hours on blacktop that radiates even more heat while shoveling, raking and compacting fresh asphalt under the burning sun.

"It's rough, especially when you're working with asphalt or you're working in direct sunlight," said John Sestayo, skill and safety trainer for Local 1010 and a former road laborer. "It's rough."

In response to heat waves, Sestayo said many contractors now shift work schedules, starting crews as early as 5 a.m., moving paving work to overnight hours when possible or ending shifts early to avoid the hottest part of the day. 

Crews typically tackle the most physically demanding work—such as paving and concrete placement—in the cooler morning hours before rotating workers through frequent water breaks and shaded recovery periods. Foremen and shop stewards monitor crews throughout the day, rotating assignments so workers can cool off without completely stopping or slowing projects.

Those practices, he said, are a marked change from when he first started the job.

"Today it's like, 'Hey, this is what's happening. No, no, let's stop for 15 minutes, drink, cool off, and then have at it,'" Sestayo said. "It's all education. One hundred percent education, training."

Mamdani executive order protecting workers

The dangerous conditions facing outdoor workers have become a renewed focus at City Hall as a prolonged heat wave descended upon New York leading up to July 4. The City's response builds on an executive order signed June 22 by Mayor Zohran Mamdani directing agencies to develop new safeguards for the roughly 1.4 million New Yorkers who work outdoors, including construction workers, delivery workers, airport employees and street vendors. 

Heat contributes to an estimated 500 deaths in New York City each year, according to the city.

When he signed the executive order, Mamdani said the City must do more to protect workers exposed to increasingly frequent periods of extreme heat. 

"No one should have to choose between their paycheck and their health," the mayor said at the press conference. "The workers building our skyline, delivering our packages, selling food on our street corners and keeping this city running deserve to come home safe at the end of every shift."

The order directs City agencies to develop multilingual heat safety guidance for outdoor workers, require heat illness prevention plans for municipal employees and contractors, study the relationship between extreme heat and workers' compensation claims and review construction-site heat safety requirements.

Sestayo said the union welcomed Mayor Zohran Mamdani's executive order on worker heat protections, saying any effort to increase public education about heat safety is beneficial.

Heat safety has become a regular part of Local 1010's training program. Sestayo said instructors dedicate time in every summer class to recognizing heat illness and preventing dehydration, regardless of the course's subject matter. The union also provides members with cooling neck gaiters, ventilated hard hats, neck flaps, sunscreen and other protective equipment, encouraging workers to bring extra supplies back to their jobsites for their crews.

‘Look out for each other’

Perhaps the most important lesson, he said, is that workers must look out for one another.

"The moment you see somebody not acting like themself, that's usually the first sign that something's going on," Sestayo said, noting that confusion, nausea, muscle cramps and an absence of sweating are all warning signs of heat illness. "Look out for each other." He added that he advises workers to limit caffeine, which subtly increases dehydration.

Sestayo said the culture on construction sites has also evolved. Rather than pushing through dangerous conditions, workers are increasingly encouraged to speak up when they begin feeling overwhelmed by the heat.

As this week's heat emergency intensified, the administration expanded cooling centers, extended outdoor pool hours, deployed medical outreach vans and opened seven pop-up cooling stations supplying water, misting fans and cooling towels for outdoor workers. The city also contacted more than 75,000 businesses, encouraging employers to implement heat illness prevention plans.

At the June 22 press conference, Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said construction workers and other outdoor laborers remain among those most vulnerable to prolonged exposure.

"Members of the construction industry who regularly perform strenuous work outdoors are particularly vulnerable," Tigani said, urging contractors to follow federal heat illness prevention guidance and strengthen workplace safety protocols.

Sestayo said that the best protection, whether for road pavers or other laborers, remains the combination of preparation, training and coworkers willing to keep an eye on each other.

"Communication, education—that's the way to go," he said. "It's putting information out there and talking about it."