Heat hurts the hip pocket and health of Aussie tradies

The Australian summer takes its toll on both the health and finances of our tradie workforce, with 70% believing hot weather makes it harder to meet job deadlines and one in 10 struck down by heat stroke during the course of a sticky summer’s day on the job.

KingGee’s Workcool survey found a hot day brings further hits to the hip pocket, with just over 40% of tradespeople admitting to taking days off as a result of the heat.

Tradies say they are susceptible to a number of health issues when working in the sun all day. One in 10 have been diagnosed with heat stroke and nearly half have suffered through a sweaty summer day to end up feeling weakened (47%) and dizzy (44%), while one in three are hit with nausea (29%).

While more than half of all respondents find it hard to maintain OHS workwear standards on the job in summer, it’s the younger tradies between 18 and 35 who are resorting to ripping their shirts off to stay cool on the job (60%).

Nadia Zaffino, marketing manager, KingGee, says, “Tradies are definitely hit the hardest by the Australian summer, having to undertake extreme physical activity under scorching temperatures. However, while the trademark tradie with his shirt off may be a sight for sore eyes to onlookers, working shirtless is actually extremely dangerous to a tradie’s health and safety on the job, and should be avoided at all costs.

“Combined with the fact more than half of tradies say they find it harder to concentrate on tasks in the heat, and one in 10 say they’ve witnessed more accidents on site during hot weather, it is essential tradies arm themselves this summer with clothing that both protects them from the heat and helps them perform.”

KingGee’s Workcool range, the result of years of research into heat stress, has been purposely built to help tradies beat the heat and keep their cool on the job. The UPF 50+ range is made with lightweight yet strong Ripstop cotton, designed to breathe without sacrificing protection and tear resistance. A collar extension has been added to all shirts for extra sun protection and pants feature 10 multifunctional pockets reinforced with triple stitching.

Airflow in summer workwear is key in keeping cool - the range features cooling vents for the upper back, underarms, sides and inner thighs.