I just came back from a week at Walt Disney World ,high temperatures and humidity and it’s only May.All the walking/standing in lines kicked my ass (kids had a blast).My hat’s off to you guys that can work on construction sites for months at a time with that kind of heat.We might get a couple of weeks here in Ohio during July or August when it’s miserable, but you guys got it tough.
Barry
Key proposals for the next edition of the International Residential Code tackle room sizes, stair specs, emergency egress, and deck guards, among other requirements.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial NowGet instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
Replies
I would like to say that ya just get used to it, but you really don't. We learn to deal with it. We take a lot of precautions to keep from getting heat stroke or heat exhaustion. It is really very easy to get it if ya ain't careful
As bad as it is now, it gets MUCH worse. Heck, we're still in the cool season.
My hat's off to the roofers and concrete workers. We can get a little shade once in a while, but they work directly in the sun and heat.
James DuHamel
J & M Home Maintenance Service
"Southeast Texas"
James, my hat's off to any of you who can stand it. Me, I see no reason ever to further south than Pennsylvania. Did you know it doesn't even snow in the winter down there? <G>Andy Engel, Forum moderator
Did you know it doesn't even snow in the winter down there?
I believe ya gotta HAVE winter before it can snow <G>
Seems like I heard of snow before....
I think the worst long term effect of the heat and humidity is the effects on the skin. 50 year old carpenters here look like they are 80 years old. The younger guys are realizing that protecting yourself and your skin is an important and smart thing to do.James DuHamel
J & M Home Maintenance Service
"Southeast Texas"
yup, I'll take the freezing cold before the heat/ sun. We just had a heat wave last month. If it gets real bad we'll knock off early, wet towel on the head helps.
Barry: we were down there w/ you. It was hotter than the 7th furnace in Heck the day we went. DW is a great place without all the kids. Wife & I walked our feet off. Rode the Buzz Lightyear ride 4 times in succession. Watched parents who don't know any better dehydrating and roasting tiny kids in strollers. We slathered on 45 sunblock and had a ball.
Don
I am a vibration analyst living in Arkansas, and do routine vibration surveys on rotating equipment in all kinds of plants. One of my favorites is a beverage can plant -- up on top of the can washer (basically a big dishwasher) the temperature is usually 120 F with humidity of 95% -- any idea what the heat index would be?
One thing I discovered at the steel mills -- when the temperature exceeds 130 F you lose the ability to tell that it's any hotter than that. I carry an infrared thermometer with me. I just won't go into an area that is over 140 F!!
Barry,
In my twenties and thirties, I installed acres of roofing in 90 + heat in North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland. You have to drink lots of water and work away from the sun as much as possible: west side of the roof in the morning; east side in the afternoon. You also have to know when the heat is at a dangerous level. A roofer, working by himself in about 100-degree heat, was found face down on the roof here a couple of years ago. He was about fifty years old. I also know a bricklayer whose son collapsed and died from the heat on a jobsite. He was in his twenties. One bricklayer around here has a light system and works from about 2 in the morning til 10 when it gets hot.
I moved to New Hampshire in the 1980s and lived there for three years. I could not believe how tough the guys were up there when it came to working in cold weather. To me, working in 15 degrees was an ordeal. I'd take 94 with humidity any day.
A few pointers for those working in the heat indoors, outdoors any time of the year.
1, Protect the skin, use sunblock, broad rim hat, long sleeve shirt. Use a scarf to protect the back of your neck. Look at some one who has worn a shirt but worked in the sun for many years compare there skin were the sun has weathered it and compare it with the skin always covered. That alone is a graphic example of the effects of prolonged exposure to ultra violet rays.
2, Fluids, water, water , water. You should drink two liters or quarts of water every day with out factoring in your needs to compensate for environmental losses of body fluids. A good test for those who are working in the heat is take a scale to work. weight yourself before the start of work and then just before lunch. Clothing or lack of should be the same each weighing. If you have lost weight that is a fluid loss. In order to restore those lost body fluids you must drink 1 1/2 times your weight loss in water. No beer or other alcohol. A sports drink can be used, the best is Gatorade. Drink steadily through out the day, don't try and recoup that loss in one sitting. Heat stroke is usually a dehydration problem brought about by successive days of dehydration. In football I have seen lineman lose up too 5-7 lbs after a 2.5 hour practice. KEEP A WATER BOTTLE NEAR YOU AND DRINK FREQUENTLY THROUGH THE DAY.
Push water. Drink even when your not thirsty. If you aren't watering the brush every hour or two you aren't getting enough water. And observe the color of your urine.
A long time ago I was training in Camp Blanding FL. during the summer. Lots of the guys were from cooler climates. Some were the stoic stereotype macho men who think that taking care of yourself is a sign of weakness. One claimed that if he drank he would just sweat more. He wouldn't drink. He was right. He did stop sweating. Shortly after that he went into convulsions. Several 50lb sacks of ice, a medic and a stretcher were dropped from a helicopter. We cut open his shirt and yanked his pants down to his knees. Armpits, crotch and neck were liberally packed with ice. We toted the fool, ice and all, for over a mile to get him to a landing zone.
By then several more people were showing signs of heat prostration. Training was suspended and the entire unit was trained in hot weather survival. I had tried to help those in my team,none of them were casualties, but being a Pvt I had little effect on the larger unit. It became a standing order that you could be ordered to urinate on the spot and, if necessary, ordered to drink a canteen, 1qt., of water. There was much complaining but no one else had any serious heat problems.
The ability to urinate and urine color are good indicators of hydration levels. Urine color, discounting vitamin use, Bs, C and a few other things cause the urine to be dark, should be only slightly darker than lemon juice. I have read and had doctors tell me that most people don't drink enough water and constantly run about a quart low. It might be in empathy for the truck around here that also run about a quart low.
You are exactly right about the urine checks. Water is cheap and easy to come by. Avoid any beverage that is over sugared such as juices and sodas, avoid caffeine and alcohol. And if possible get your work done in the cooler hours of the day. The neighbors may be a testy if you start cutting and hammering at 4:00 in the mourning but it would get you off by 1:00 avoiding the hottest part of the day.