Roofing is one of the deadliest jobs in the United States, and one of its underrated killers is not a fall but the weather. Roofers work on dark, radiant surfaces that run far hotter than the air a weather report measures, and federal data shows they die from environmental heat at a rate roughly seven times that of the average construction worker. This report pulls together verified statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, peer-reviewed research from CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training, OSHA enforcement records, and roof-temperature measurements to quantify the heat risk of working on a roof.
This is a research asset for journalists, safety professionals, insurers, and roofing employers. Every statistic below carries a source line and a date. Figures we derived ourselves are labeled as Roofing Brief calculations, with their inputs shown.
Executive summary
- Environmental heat killed 48 U.S. workers in 2024, and about half of those deaths were in construction (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2024; CPWR analysis, 2025).
- Roofers face a heat-death risk index of 6.93, roughly seven times the risk of the average construction worker, second only to cement masons at 10.80 (Source: Dong et al., American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2019).
- Construction workers are about 6 percent of the U.S. workforce but accounted for 36 percent of all occupational heat deaths from 1992 to 2016 (Source: Dong et al., 2019).
- Roofing had the third-highest occupational fatality rate in 2023 at 51.8 deaths per 100,000 full-time workers, down from 57.5 in 2022 (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CFOI, 2023).
- Dark asphalt shingles run 50 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the surrounding air, so a 90-degree day produces a roof surface of roughly 140 to 160 degrees (Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Rose, 2006).
- Official counts almost certainly understate the problem. One analysis estimates the true number of occupational heat injuries and illnesses could reach about 170,000 per year against roughly 3,400 in official records (Source: Public Citizen, Boiling Point, citing BLS and a California workers-compensation study).
- OSHA ran about 7,000 heat inspections between April 2022 and December 2024 under its Heat National Emphasis Program, up from roughly 200 per year in 2015 to 2020 (Source: OSHA Heat NEP enforcement data, 2024).
Key findings
- Environmental heat caused 48 worker deaths in the United States in 2024 (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2024).
- Roughly half of all 2024 heat-related worker deaths were in construction (Source: CPWR analysis of BLS CFOI data, 2025).
- Heat killed 55 workers in 2023, of whom 18 (32 percent) worked in construction (Source: CPWR analysis of BLS CFOI, 2025).
- Heat killed 43 workers in 2022, of whom 17 (39 percent) worked in construction, up from 36 heat deaths in 2021 (Source: CPWR analysis of BLS CFOI, 2025).
- Between 1992 and 2016, 285 construction workers died from heat, equal to 36 percent of all occupational heat deaths, while construction made up about 6 percent of the workforce (Source: Dong et al., American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2019).
- Roofers carry a heat-death risk index of 6.93, meaning they are about seven times more likely to die from heat than the average construction worker (Source: Dong et al., 2019).
- Cement masons have the highest construction heat-death risk index at 10.80, followed by roofers (6.93), helpers (6.87), brick masons (3.33), construction laborers (1.93), and HVAC mechanics (1.60) (Source: Dong et al., 2019).
- Rising summer temperatures from 1997 to 2016 were statistically associated with higher heat-death rates among construction workers (Source: Dong et al., 2019).
- Roofing had the third-highest fatal-injury rate of any U.S. occupation in 2023 at 51.8 per 100,000 full-time workers, behind logging (98.9) and fishing and hunting (86.9) (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CFOI, 2023).
- The roofing industry recorded 134 workplace fatalities in 2023, with falls, slips, and trips the leading cause (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CFOI, 2023).
- Dark asphalt-shingle roofs run 50 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit above ambient air temperature under summer sun (Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory).
- Measured dark shingle roof surfaces have reached about 76 degrees Celsius, or roughly 168 degrees Fahrenheit (Source: Rose, 2006, roof-temperature study).
- Official U.S. records logged about 3,400 heat-related injuries and illnesses with days away from work per year during 2011 to 2020, a figure widely regarded as an undercount (Source: Public Citizen, Boiling Point, citing BLS SOII).
- One extrapolation puts the likely true count of occupational heat injuries and illnesses near 170,000 per year, and true heat deaths between roughly 605 and 2,000 per year (Source: Public Citizen, Boiling Point, citing a California workers-compensation study and academic estimates).
- OSHA conducted about 7,000 heat inspections and issued 60 heat-related citations between April 2022 and December 2024, alongside roughly 1,400 hazard alert letters and about 1,400 workers removed from dangerous heat (Source: OSHA Heat National Emphasis Program enforcement data, 2024).
Why roofing is a high-heat trade
Roofers do not experience the temperature that a thermometer in the shade reports. They work on top of a radiant surface that absorbs sunlight and re-emits heat directly at the body. That surface heat, combined with physical exertion, minimal shade, and reflective glare, is what makes roofing one of the hottest jobs in construction.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory estimates that dark asphalt shingles run 50 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the surrounding air. On a 90-degree afternoon, that puts the working surface at roughly 140 to 160 degrees. A roof-temperature study by Rose (2006) measured dark shingle surfaces reaching about 76 degrees Celsius, or 168 degrees Fahrenheit. These are surface temperatures, not air temperatures, so standard heat advisories based on air temperature understate what a roofing crew feels.
Heat deaths: the federal fatality record
The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks work deaths from exposure to environmental heat through the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. The annual national totals are small in absolute terms but persistent, and construction is consistently overrepresented.
| Year | U.S. worker heat deaths | Construction share |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36 | Not separately reported here |
| 2022 | 43 | 17 deaths (39%) |
| 2023 | 55 | 18 deaths (32%) |
| 2024 | 48 | About half |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2021 to 2024, as compiled in CPWR analysis, 2025. The construction share for 2021 was not captured in the sources reviewed for this report.
Roofers versus other trades: the heat-death risk index
The clearest occupation-level evidence comes from Dong et al. (2019) in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, published by CPWR researchers using 25 years of CFOI data. The study built a relative risk index for heat death by construction occupation, where a value near 1.0 represents the average construction worker. Roofers ranked second among all construction trades.
| Occupation | Heat-death risk index |
|---|---|
| Cement masons | 10.80 |
| Roofers | 6.93 |
| Helpers | 6.87 |
| Brick masons | 3.33 |
| Construction laborers | 1.93 |
| HVAC mechanics | 1.60 |
Source: Dong, X.S., West, G.H., Holloway-Beth, A., Wang, X., and Sokas, R.K. (2019). Heat-related deaths among construction workers in the United States. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 62(12), 1047 to 1057.
How heat compares to falls in roofing fatalities
Falls remain the single deadliest hazard in roofing, and they should not be minimized. In 2023 the roofing industry recorded 134 workplace deaths and an occupational fatality rate of 51.8 per 100,000 full-time workers, the third-highest of any U.S. occupation. Falls, slips, and trips were the leading cause. Heat is a smaller share of roofing deaths than falls, but it is distinctive because it is almost entirely preventable through water, rest, shade, and acclimatization, and because it is heavily undercounted.
| Occupation | Fatal-injury rate per 100,000 (2023) |
|---|---|
| Logging workers | 98.9 |
| Fishing and hunting workers | 86.9 |
| Roofers | 51.8 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2023. Roofing fell from the second-highest rate in 2022 (57.5) to third in 2023.
The undercount problem
Heat rarely appears cleanly on a death certificate or an injury log. Heat can trigger a fatal fall, a cardiac event, or a vehicle crash, and in those cases the recorded cause is usually the secondary event rather than heat. CPWR notes directly that reported heat injuries are likely an undercount because of well-documented underreporting and because heat as a contributing factor to other injuries is not captured.
An analysis by Public Citizen titled Boiling Point put numbers to this gap. Official records showed roughly 3,400 heat-related injuries and illnesses with days away from work per year during 2011 to 2020, and an average of about 40 heat deaths per year. By extrapolating from a California workers-compensation study that found roughly 20,000 heat injuries per year in that state alone, the analysis estimated the true national figure could be near 170,000 injuries and illnesses per year, with heat deaths plausibly between 605 and 2,000 per year.
Enforcement: OSHA’s heat program
The United States still has no final federal heat standard for general industry, though OSHA has been developing one. In the meantime, OSHA has enforced heat hazards through a National Emphasis Program that began on April 8, 2022. The program sharply increased inspection activity.
- About 7,000 heat inspections between April 2022 and December 2024, compared with roughly 200 per year during 2015 to 2020 (Source: OSHA Heat NEP enforcement data, 2024).
- 60 heat-related citations issued under the OSH Act during that window (Source: OSHA, 2024).
- About 1,400 hazard alert letters and about 1,400 workers removed from dangerous heat conditions (Source: OSHA, 2024).
- OSHA revised and extended the program effective April 10, 2026, targeting 55 high-risk indoor and outdoor industries (Source: OSHA news release, April 10, 2026).
Original synthesis: Roofing Brief calculations
The following figures are our own calculations built from the sourced inputs above. They are labeled as Roofing Brief calculations and are not published statistics. Each shows its formula and its inputs so any reader can reproduce or challenge it.
1. Construction is roughly 8 times overrepresented in heat deaths
Roofing Brief calculation. Construction accounted for about half of all worker heat deaths in 2024 while making up about 6 percent of the workforce. Dividing 50 percent by 6 percent gives an overrepresentation factor of about 8.3. Using CPWR’s alternative 7 percent workforce share instead yields about 7.1. Either way, construction workers die from heat at roughly seven to eight times their share of the workforce. Inputs: BLS CFOI 2024 (about half of 2024 heat deaths were construction); Dong et al. 2019 (construction is about 6 percent of the workforce). Limitation: the two inputs cover different years, so this is an order-of-magnitude ratio, not a single-year precise figure.
2. A roofer’s heat-death risk is about 3.6 times a general laborer’s
Roofing Brief calculation. Dividing the roofer heat-death risk index of 6.93 by the construction-laborer index of 1.93 gives a ratio of about 3.6. A roofer is therefore roughly three and a half times more likely to die from heat than a general construction laborer, and about seven times more likely than the average construction worker. Inputs: Dong et al. 2019 risk indices (roofers 6.93, construction laborers 1.93). Limitation: the index reflects 1992 to 2016 data and does not adjust for changes in crew size, protective practices, or climate since 2016.
3. Reported heat injuries may capture only about 1 in 50 real cases
Roofing Brief calculation. Dividing the estimated true national total of about 170,000 heat injuries and illnesses per year by the roughly 3,400 in official records gives a ratio of about 50. That implies official statistics may capture only about 2 percent of real occupational heat injuries. Inputs: Public Citizen, Boiling Point (estimated 170,000 true cases; about 3,400 recorded). Limitation: the 170,000 figure is itself an extrapolation from a single-state workers-compensation study and should be treated as an upper-bound estimate, not a measured count.
4. A roofer’s working surface can sit 50 to 70 degrees above the heat-advisory air temperature
Roofing Brief calculation. Heat advisories are commonly triggered around a 95-degree Fahrenheit air temperature. Adding Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s 50-to-70-degree shingle-to-air gap puts the roof surface a roofer kneels and stands on at roughly 145 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit while the reported air temperature is 95. Inputs: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (50 to 70 degree shingle-to-air differential); a 95-degree illustrative advisory-level air temperature. Limitation: surface temperature varies with shingle color, roof pitch, cloud cover, wind, and time of day, so the range is illustrative rather than a fixed value.
Recommended charts
- Worker heat deaths by year, 2021 to 2024. Data: BLS CFOI annual heat-death totals. Insight: heat deaths hover between 36 and 55 per year with no clear decline. Citation-worthy because it shows the problem is not going away.
- Construction heat-death risk index by occupation. Data: Dong et al. 2019 risk indices. Insight: roofers rank second at 6.93. Citation-worthy as a single-image ranking of the hottest trades.
- Roof surface temperature versus air temperature. Data: ORNL differential plus illustrative air temperatures. Insight: the gap between what a weather report shows and what a roof surface reaches. Citation-worthy for explaining why roofers are at outsized risk.
- Official versus estimated heat injuries. Data: Public Citizen recorded (3,400) versus estimated (170,000). Insight: the scale of undercounting. Citation-worthy as a striking data-gap visual.
Methodology
Sources were selected in a strict priority order: federal statistical programs first (BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries and Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses), then peer-reviewed research and official industry research bodies (CPWR and the Dong et al. study in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine), then federal regulatory enforcement data (OSHA), then national laboratory measurements (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) and published roof-temperature studies. Advocacy and trade sources were used only where they clearly cited primary data.
Inclusion required a specific number, a year or date range, and an identifiable source. Where sources disagreed, the more recent primary figure was preferred and the discrepancy was noted. Derived figures were kept separate from published figures and labeled as Roofing Brief calculations with their inputs. Any figure that could not be traced to a fetched source was excluded. Absolute national heat-death counts are small and subject to revision, and heat injury counts are known to be undercounted, both of which are flagged in the text. Last updated July 2026.
Source quality ranking
- Tier 1, primary and official. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (CFOI and SOII); Dong et al. 2019, American Journal of Industrial Medicine; CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training; OSHA enforcement and program data; Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
- Tier 2, credible secondary. Published roof-temperature study (Rose, 2006) as reported through building-science references; trade press reporting BLS CFOI occupation rates.
- Tier 3, reputable interpretation. Public Citizen, Boiling Point, used for its extrapolated undercount estimates, which draw on BLS data and a California workers-compensation study.
- Excluded. Unsourced blog roundups, AI-generated summaries, contractor marketing pages without primary citations, and any figure we could not trace to a fetched source.
Journalist-friendly additions
Most quotable statistics
- Roofers die from heat at about seven times the rate of the average construction worker (Dong et al., 2019).
- Construction is about 6 percent of the workforce but roughly half of all 2024 worker heat deaths (BLS CFOI 2024; Dong et al., 2019).
- A dark shingle roof can run 50 to 70 degrees hotter than the air, reaching about 160 degrees on a 90-degree day (Oak Ridge National Laboratory).
- Official records may capture only about 1 in 50 real occupational heat injuries (Roofing Brief calculation from Public Citizen figures).
Data limitations
National heat-death counts are small in absolute terms and are revised as cases are finalized. Heat is undercounted because it often triggers a fall or cardiac event that is recorded as the primary cause. The occupation-level risk indices come from 1992 to 2016 data and predate the most recent OSHA enforcement push. The 170,000 estimated-injury figure is an extrapolation, not a measured count.
Downloadable dataset, recommended fields
Year; worker heat deaths (national); construction heat deaths; construction share of heat deaths; occupation; heat-death risk index; occupational fatality rate per 100,000; roofing industry fatalities; recorded heat injuries with days away; estimated true heat injuries; roof surface temperature; ambient air temperature; shingle-to-air differential; OSHA heat inspections; OSHA heat citations; source; source year; link.
Press summary (about 150 words)
Roofing is among the most heat-dangerous jobs in America. Federal data shows environmental heat killed 48 U.S. workers in 2024, and about half of those deaths were in construction, an industry that is only about 6 percent of the workforce. Peer-reviewed research from CPWR found roofers die from heat at roughly seven times the rate of the average construction worker, second only to cement masons. The reason is physical: dark asphalt shingles run 50 to 70 degrees hotter than the air, so a 90-degree day creates a roof surface near 160 degrees. Official injury counts are widely regarded as undercounts, with one analysis estimating the true national figure could reach 170,000 heat injuries per year against about 3,400 recorded. OSHA has responded with roughly 7,000 heat inspections since 2022, up from about 200 a year in the late 2010s, and extended its heat enforcement program into 2026.
Suggested headlines
- Roofers Die From Heat at Seven Times the Average Construction Rate, Federal Data Shows
- The 160-Degree Workplace: Why Roofing Is One of America’s Hottest Jobs
- Half of 2024’s Worker Heat Deaths Were in Construction
- Official Heat Injury Counts May Miss 49 of Every 50 Cases
- Roofing’s Hidden Weather Risk Is Not the Fall, It Is the Heat
Frequently asked questions
How many U.S. workers die from heat each year? Environmental heat killed 48 workers in 2024, 55 in 2023, 43 in 2022, and 36 in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.
Are roofers really at higher heat risk than other trades? Yes. Roofers have a heat-death risk index of 6.93, about seven times the average construction worker, second only to cement masons at 10.80, per Dong et al. 2019 in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.
What share of heat deaths are in construction? Construction made up about half of worker heat deaths in 2024 and 36 percent of all occupational heat deaths from 1992 to 2016, while being about 6 percent of the workforce (BLS CFOI; Dong et al., 2019).
How hot does a roof surface actually get? Dark asphalt shingles run 50 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the air, so a 90-degree day produces a surface near 140 to 160 degrees, and measured dark roofs have reached about 168 degrees (Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Rose, 2006).
Is heat a bigger killer than falls in roofing? No. Falls remain the leading cause of roofing deaths. Roofing had 134 fatalities in 2023 at a rate of 51.8 per 100,000, the third-highest of any occupation, with falls leading (BLS CFOI, 2023).
Why do experts say heat deaths are undercounted? Heat often triggers a fall or cardiac event that is recorded as the primary cause. CPWR states reported heat injuries are likely an undercount, and Public Citizen estimates the true injury count could be near 170,000 per year versus about 3,400 recorded.
What is a heat-death risk index? It is a relative measure from Dong et al. 2019 where about 1.0 represents the average construction worker. A roofer index of 6.93 means roofers are about seven times more likely to die from heat than that average.
Does the United States have a federal heat standard? Not a final one for general industry as of 2026. OSHA has been developing a heat standard and enforces heat hazards through a National Emphasis Program launched in April 2022 and extended in April 2026.
How much has OSHA heat enforcement increased? OSHA ran about 7,000 heat inspections from April 2022 to December 2024, up from roughly 200 per year in 2015 to 2020, and issued 60 heat-related citations in that window (OSHA, 2024).
Which construction jobs face the highest heat risk? By risk index: cement masons (10.80), roofers (6.93), helpers (6.87), brick masons (3.33), construction laborers (1.93), and HVAC mechanics (1.60), per Dong et al. 2019.
Related Roofing Brief reports
- Dark Roofs and Urban Heat (2026): Roof Color, City Temperatures, and Heat Deaths
- Roofing vs the Other Skilled Trades: Pay, Size, and Risk Compared, 2026
- The Roofing Labor Wage Report 2026
- Roof Safety in 2026: OSHA Rules, Harness Setup, and DIY Limits
- Roofing Safety Equipment: Fall Protection and PPE
Reviewed by The Roofing Brief Team. Last reviewed July 2026.