This heat is a killer !!!!!

[Koga]

I know right now its cooled off some here in BR its only 99 degrees. Heat index around 114. Yesterday and since last Fri. we have been around 101 -103. Index up around 116 to 118. Folks thats miserable. Yall remember,take plenty of breaks , break each other out and drink water till you cant stand it. Watch out for each other.It don't take long for it to get ya.

Koga

[loodvig]

I don't know how you guys do it in that heat! My hat is off to you men!

[BigClive]

Oh how I'd love some heat... At the moment it's quite cool with almost constant rain drizzling down and getting into every bit of the electrical equipment that it shouldn't be. A brisk wind is helping it work it's way in too.

[thrasher]

Know what you mean Koga, the heat sucks the energy out of you all day long then right at quitting time a thunderstorm rolls thru and you work another 3-6 hours. At least here the thermometer is back to 2 digits although the heat index is still over 100.
Like you said drink lots of water and grab what shade you can when you can.

[lineman-up]

i dont know how ya do it, if the heat index gets to a hundred here we can hardly function. what is the humidity like? all i can say is bring on the snow and the cold. i'll take 10 below zero over the heat any day. getin close to pullin out the ole carharts now woohoo!!! stay safe and drink some more water

[Pootnaigle]

Yestiddy the temp wuz 103 at quittin time , Hummididy runs bout 95. Yer soakin wet by 9am.I kaint take the cold nomore but the heat will sure nuff get to ya if ya dont foller Koga,s advice. Feller hazta learn to pace himself to endure it.

[Squizzy]

Yep the heat sucks 100F is 38.8C which is common in summer as are temps up to around 42-43C in northern areas it goes up over 45C yep heat sucks doesn't matter where you are.

[WCLR]

Its 15 minutes till 5 here in Bama and its 102 degrees. Not many days under 100 here lately. Supposed to be 104 tomorrow.

[thrasher]

And just think the boys in DC (OSHA) think you should be wearing two or three layers of FR on days like these! I still say they will injure more from heat stroke then they save from exposure to arcs. Before everyone jumps out of the woodwork, yes I AGREE to ONE layer of FR to keep from having clothing catch fire or melt but that is all that I think should be required. I once watched an arc burn thru a 4 inch steel beam when the disconnect we were operating fell apart without triggering the load break, so I really don't place much faith in layers of cloth stopping an arc.

[BillyMac]

Yep the heat sucks 100F is 38.8C which is common in summer as are temps up to around 42-43C in northern areas it goes up over 45C yep heat sucks doesn't matter where you are.

Not wrong there Squizzy even worse with gloves & sleeves, can't wait for summer.......not! Nothing like starting work at half seven in the morning already in a lather of sweet from the 2 kay ride to work:eek: LOVE IT. All these memories I'll need if I get to Canada working in the cold.

[CPOPE]

July 2009 http://www.incident-prevention.com/

With the summer upon us, one concern that always seems to sneak up on workers during high heat periods are heat-related illnesses. Working in a hot, humid environment can be difficult or even fatal if you ignore the signs and symptoms of heat-related disorders.

With the summer upon us, one concern that always seems to sneak up on workers during high heat periods are heat-related illnesses. Working in a hot, humid environment can be difficult or even fatal if you ignore the signs and symptoms of heat-related disorders.

Heat can create a number of safety problems and illnesses due to additional stress on the body. Heat-related illnesses include:
• Heat cramps
• Heat exhaustion
• Heat stroke (which can be fatal if not treated properly)

Heat stress is the body’s response to heat loading. Factors that contribute to heat stress include:
• Environmental heat source
• Amount of exertion required to perform a task
• Amount of time spent in hot or humid conditions
• Type of clothing worn

Operations that involve high air temperatures, radiant heat sources (e.g., direct sunlight), high humidity, strenuous physical activities or direct physical contact with hot objects have the potential to produce heat stress.

Outdoor operations conducted in hot weather – such as construction, welding and aerial line work – can cause heat stress among exposed employees. Other locations include manholes, transformer vaults, generating stations and steam tunnels.

Age, weight, degree of physical fitness, metabolism, use of alcohol or drugs, and a variety of medical conditions such as hypertension all affect a person’s sensitivity to heat. It is difficult to predict just who will be affected and when, as individual susceptibility varies. Other environmental factors include ambient air temperature, radiant heat, air movement, conduction and relative humidity.

It is important to remember that it takes time to get used to working in hot or humid conditions. Acclimatization to heat involves a series of changes that occur in an individual during the first week of exposure to hot environmental conditions. Full acclimatization can take a week. The ability to maintain full acclimatization can be reduced by several days’ absence from work.

Signs and Symptoms of Heat-Related Illness
Heat cramps: Heat cramps affect the muscles such as those in your arms, legs and abdomen – mostly the muscles that have been used while working. These cramps may occur after work, when the person is resting. Heat cramps are a signal that the body has lost too much salt through sweating.

Heat exhaustion: Symptoms of heat exhaustion include nausea, dizziness, pale and clammy skin, quick pulse and low blood pressure. Heat exhaustion is also a warning that the mechanism that controls body heat has become seriously overtaxed. Heat stroke may follow if heat exhaustion is not treated.

Heat stroke: Heat stroke is a serious matter and can be fatal. It occurs when the body’s heat control mechanism simply shuts down. Perspiration stops and body temperature rises. The heart pounds and the skin becomes flushed and hot. This condition is a medical emergency and must be treated immediately.

Tips for preventing heat-related illness this summer:
• Get used to working in heat gradually. For example, if the weather suddenly turns hot or you are transferred to a hot environment, take it easy until you are accustomed to the temperature.
• Drink plenty of water often to avoid dehydration. The body loses water through perspiration, so you need to replenish it frequently. Do not drink alcoholic or caffeinated beverages because they will cause you to lose even more water and salt.
• Take frequent rest breaks when working in hot and humid conditions. These breaks can consist of moving to a cooler area or switching to lighter work for a while.
• Get a physician’s advice before replacing salt, particularly if your salt intake is restricted for medical reasons such as circulatory problems. The use of salt tablets is not recommended. Eating lightly salted food before entering the work environment may be a better idea. Also available are special drinks intended to replace the body’s fluid and mineral levels.
• Dress lightly in layers so you can subtract or add clothing as the temperature changes. Be sure to shade the skin against the sun.

It is important that you remain alert to the signs of heat illness in yourself and in your co-workers. If signs of heat illness develop, move the victim to a cool place and cool him or her off by fanning or soaking him or her with cool water. If he or she is conscious, give him or her water to drink. If you have any reason to suspect the person may be suffering from heat stroke, call for medical help immediately.

[duckhunter]

I hope I'm not repeating what has been said, but one key to working in the heat is to watch the other guy. We get so focussed whether in the heat or the cold in getting this job done so I get get to where it is more comfortable that we forge ahead, not realizing the effect on us. Watching your crew members can be key to protecting them in this case too!

[BigClive]

And remember to keep chugging water, 'cos by the time you get a headache it means you weren't drinking enough.

Not that you Americans and Aussies need to be told that, but here in Scotland we are getting higher temperatures and dehydration is becoming a real issue.

Now for the unpopular bit.... Water is great for rehydration. Beer, coffee and cola are not. But you can drink 'em after you've had some water. :D

[LostArt]

July 2009 http://www.incident-prevention.com/


• Dress lightly in layers so you can subtract or add clothing as the temperature changes. Be sure to shade the skin against the sun.


Dress lightly huh? The long sleeve FR shirt the Boss wears is almost as heavy as the FR jeans now. And he wears an undershirt!

Well, speaking of the weather, it's coming up a huge thunder cloud. I need to shut off the computer. One thing about this, at least it gets cooler.

[Pootnaigle]

Ummmmmmm Friday evening I came home to a house that was 94 inside and the less than 3 year old ac was out. After a few preliminary checks I deemed the compressor bad and started gettin in touch with the guy that put it in. I spent a most miserable friday and saturday in sweltering heat,Praying for rain but to no avail. Sunday morning we changed out the compressor and the outdoor fan motor as it showed bad also. Friday I drank one glass of water and 12 beers...... That sustained me until saturday when I decided to skip the water and go straight to the beer .Cold showers and more beer got me thru the day n nite and by Sunday at Noon I had er workin again.
With all this said I grew up with no knowledge of air conditioning How in the hell did people exist before that.How did I ever last so long without baking to death.Have I turned into a big P...........? Well least I was wet.

[mx-5]

not to be an ass,but how hot can it possibly get in Scotland??:confused:

[BigClive]

not to be an ass,but how hot can it possibly get in Scotland??:confused:

Hot enough when you're acclimatised to the cold. We may not get American or Australian temperatures, but the higher than normal temperatures are causing issues for Scottish workers.

[CPOPE]

Hot enough when you're acclimatised to the cold. We may not get American or Australian temperatures, but the higher than normal temperatures are causing issues for Scottish workers.
and when it does get warm ya all just go comando under the kilt.

It's not the heat but the humidity....................
6:14 PM EDT, July 15, 2009
landscapers to utility pole climbers, many of South Florida's employees work outdoors. How do they manage summer heat that feels like 100 degrees, and are there any laws that protect them?

While some federal laws may apply, there's not any "real enforcement activity" protecting workers from sun exposure, says Charles Caulkins, a labor lawyer with Fisher & Phillips in Fort Lauderdale.

Still, he advises employers to educate employees on dangers and ways to protect themselves. It just makes good fiscal sense to keep workers productive, Caulkins says.

Outdoor workers are at high risk for skin cancer, which can be deadly and expensive to treat. The disease also can mean lost work time for employees who suffer from heat stroke or may need surgery, radiation therapy or chemotherapy.

Employees have the right to protect themselves from unsafe work situations under the National Labor Relations Act. "You're protected from doing something that is unsafe. You can't be fired," Caulkins says.

Still, few workers are likely to complain in a job market with sky-high unemployment. The best approach is for employers to be proactive in educating workers about sun protection.

"Put a flier with the payroll check. It's subliminal. You may throw it away, but you may look at it first," advises Ann McNeill, president of MCO Construction, a Miami firm that makes extra water available and holds regular safety meetings when temperatures rise.

The right clothing and tools to beat the heat are important.

MCO's crews change from their company red to white shirts, which are more comfortable in the heat.

Publix Supermarkets provides ball-caps and allows workers to wear shorts as they roll carts in and out of the parking lot in extreme heat. Managers also remind workers about sunscreen, drinking plenty of water, and taking breaks in the air conditioning, says Kimberly Jaeger, spokeswoman for Publix.

South Florida landscape company owner Tito Hernandez makes sure his workers wear long-sleeved cotton shirts, which keep the worker feeling cooler and prevents an itchy rash.

While employers can provide the tools, it's up to workers to take care of their own health.

Rolando Medina works 12- to 14-hour days in the sun for his own business, Treasure Coast Pools, a pool maintenance service he's operated since 1985. He wears long sleeves, shades and a hat.

"I've gotten so dark I don't even bother wearing suntan lotion," Medina admits. Still, he visits his dermatologist once a year and has had only minor sun-related skin damage.

Electric utility Florida Power & Light Co. incorporates the "buddy system," asking co-workers to watch each other for heat exhaustion.

"We've been trained to recognize signs of heatstroke and exhaustion and bring it to each other's attention," says Mark Cleghorn, a 29-year field specialist for the utility.

Signs include sweating, paleness, headaches, dizziness and cramps, says Tedd Granger, safety manager for FPL.

"I actually took one guy down off a pole for heat exhaustion and called EMS [Emergency Medical Services]. Sometimes it comes on quick," Cleghorn recalls.

Still, working outside is a choice for many in South Florida, who enjoy the lifestyle and pleasant winter temperatures. Medina cools off with a dip when he finishes his pool work in the afternoon.

FPL's Cleghorn says he's just an "outdoors person." Still, after working five days a week in the sun, he admits that on the weekend, "I don't want to go to the beach."

[LostArt]

Humidity. Unless you live it, you have NO IDEA.

I can't help but grin. I've been to CA. I went there in 2004 during Hurricane Frances. The weather was great. Or so to me.

I mentioned to a Efriend not long ago, "...but it's a DRY heat. Have a gander at humidity and then get back with me..."

Well, after a few weeks he posts, "....I'm tired of hearing about our 104 degree weather and the fact that it's a DRY heat. Next time someone mentions DRY heat, I'm gonna go to your town and beat the hell outta ya."

Heh.

I responded to this with, "Yeah, you have DRY HEAT. Now come on over here and just try and beat the heck out of my old female butt BUD!"

Of course he cracked up.....I'm not one to get....well, that sassy, but it did crack him up. :D

[Squizzy]

Ha ha Clive you were in sweating in shorts and T-shirt when you were over here and we all had jeans and jackets on lol:D

[BigClive]

Yeah, and that was your cold time of year. I'm glad I wasn't there in the hot months.

Must get back to Perth sometime. I particularly liked Freemantle. Maybe I'll do Perth and Sydney next time round.

[old lineman]

We called it 'summer let down'. We noticed that during the summer months lots of accidents happened because people were distracted. Monday's and Fridays statistically rose above the resat of the week day's.
An abnormal accident statistic showed up when workers were about to go on vacation. Distracted or preoccupied I guess. This is real.
The Old lineman

[CPOPE]

A recent NASA study concluded that when the temperature is 95F for an extended period, people can make 60 mistakes per hour - without realizing it. When the ambient temperature reaches 95F, almost half the blood moves to the skin to produce moisture (in the form of perspiration) to naturally cool the body. The heart is pumping up to 150 beats per minute with less volume to get the blood to the skin. That means the rest of the organs, including the brain and muscles, are only operating on half the blood they normally need. This interferes with cognitive thinking skills and can provoke emotions such as anger and even combative behavior.

During this hot weather, drink cool water throughout the day, averaging about 24 ounces per hour. This is the rate at which the average person loses fluids through sweat. Don't wait until you feel thirsty to drink.