Highway Maintenance Workers is in the Building and Construction Career Cluster. Setting Highway maintenance workers work outside where they are exposed to the weather. They do most of their work in the summer when the weather is dry, but warm. During the busy period, workers may work more than 40 hours a week. Sometimes they work seven days a week in order to finish a project.
Work often begins in the early morning while it is still cool.
However, many of the machines operated by paving and surfacing workers create a lot of heat so workers may be hot all day. Paving and surfacing workers wear work boots and long pants even during the summer. Hazards include heat stroke, sunburn, burns from contact with hot objects, and blisters. Work sites can be noisy. Workers may be exposed to dust and fumes from paving materials.