[FitNPipe]

I realize this is something we all talk about every summer, but it is getting hot out there and some of the places we work are deadly hot. On top of the heat, many of us are required to wear many layers of protection for the work we do, burning, brazing, welding, grinding. Today I had a 125 degree temp stick melt on the deck next to my job with no preheat aside from the sun. The compartment I was working in had minimal air flow which made it stagnant which made me sweat much more than normal. Pay attention to your body, take breaks, drink plenty of water. We all want to get the job done, but make sure you can work again another day.


Sorry for the rant, but today was the one of the first REALLY hot days and I spent time at work reminding my mate to cool off and get something to drink as it is his first summer on a ship.

[Superiorwelding]

Hey don't feel bad for the rant, it was a hot and humid one here in Ohio. It was one of those days I had to stay out of my office, it just makes it worse when you go back out to the shop. Water is your friend on days like that. We provide bottled water to everyone so there is no excuse for dehydration. This could actually be a good thread to keep going.
-Jonathan

[TamJeff]

I work in Florida in a metal building. It has gotten to 104 in the shop in August. As long as I have air moving around me I am ok and if I stay out in it all day I am fine. If I have to go into the office and into the AC for something. . .I'm done.

I don't drink ice water. Just tap temperature water and plenty of it. Seems I feel better longer if I don't fluctuate about my core temp too much. I keep a portable fan going where I can step into the flow periodically without blowing off the shielding gas too much. I have it aimed to where when I lift my hood or stand back, I get some air.

A good damp, or even dry face towel makes all the difference in the world for the better as far as I am concerned.

[GlenC]

My hat's off to those who can survive the hot humid weather... I'm getting old and I do not like being COLD! and get lethargic like a cat when it gets hot, but here in So Cal, not that humid...

The Cooling towels are amazing
http://www.lowes.com/Safety/Clothing-Ap ... 0ww6b/pl#!
But will be less effective as the humidity goes up, I think. They might be worth a try ... mine even got cold with hot water

[danielbuck]

I grew up in Louisiana, I can't see wearing a leather jacket and thick gloves all day long in the heat and humidity, hats off to yall who can do that!

I agree on the ice water, just tap water temperature is probably better.

[Otto Nobedder]

I keep ice water with me constantly. I freeze four used Gatorade bottles, about 1/3 full, on a slant. Fill one with bottled water from the cooler, and drop it in a neoprene beer-bottle sleeve. Swap it for another once the ice melts. Our shop will reach 110, easy, in August.

I've a bonus coming this July, that I'm going to use about $200 of to buy a "phase-transition gel" cooling vest, like the military uses in desert combat. With a pare set of gel-packs (good for about 5 hours each).

I work better in -10 than in 110. I can always put more clothes on. There's only so much they'll let me take off...

I'm in south Louisiana, BTW.

I did convince the boss to buy "Sqwincher" packs, so everyone can make their own electrolyte drinks as needed...

Steve S

[coldman]

I work in Florida in a metal building. It has gotten to 104 in the shop in August. As long as I have air moving around me I am ok and if I stay out in it all day I am fine. If I have to go into the office and into the AC for something. . .I'm done.

I don't drink ice water. Just tap temperature water and plenty of it. Seems I feel better longer if I don't fluctuate about my core temp too much. I keep a portable fan going where I can step into the flow periodically without blowing off the shielding gas too much. I have it aimed to where when I lift my hood or stand back, I get some air.

A good damp, or even dry face towel makes all the difference in the world for the better as far as I am concerned.

That works really well until you add high humidity (80-90%) and high construction activity (lifting, climbing etc) in the sun as well, then you have to keep your core temp down. I keep an "esky" full of ice and club soda and go through 6 litres some days to keep working. By the end of the day nothing works except bashing a few of your favorite ales down your neck.

[TamJeff]

Just saying what works for me personally. I have been out in it and having to wear tyvek suits as well while welding at fuel depots. Our humidity is typically in the 90+% range. Ice water just makes me thirstier than room temp does. I can chug room temp water with no ill effects. I learned that when I was young doing hot tar roofing, of all things.

I have watched people just give up after starting to hit the water cooler. The trips to it would become more frequent until they were just hanging on by a thread. In all my years working construction in Florida, I have never been caught by the bear. Close, but not caught.

[coldman]

I hear you man. I think I just overheat in high humidity, In dry heat I am ok with tap water. You do what is best for yourself. Incidently I once saw an Egyptian crew working on a building site in the heat. They had a cauldron of water simmering over a fire all day. Every so often they would sip from it with a ladle and kept working all day when others were flagging out with cold coke.

[noddybrian]

I also hate hot weather - like Steve said - you can put more clothes on in cold weather - but there is no escape from heat - I find cold drinks especially fizzy ones feel good for a few minutes while consuming - but make me feel worse afterwards - usually I only drink tea - summer or winter.

Now how are we letting this post slip by without a Gatorade joke ( insert " Idiocracy " quote here ! )

[Otto Nobedder]

I don't "chug" my ice-water. I keep it with me at all times, and sip it.

Never had an issue.

Everyone needs to figure out what works best for them, and practice it to protect themselves.

The only time I came close to "falling out" was at a shutdown in SC, because I was sweating so heavy I was potassium-low. The gatorade showed up, and I drank 12 ounces without ice, and was fine in 10 minutes.

Steve S

[FitNPipe]

I am really happy that this topic has taken off. Any new ideas to keep us all safe are all good ideas. The summer has just began and just two days ago a 125 degree crayon melted laying on the deck in the compartment I was in. After that crayon melted I had to put a sleeve in a bulkhead and then braze a couple joints after it.

I had a young mate, new to working shipboard, who was super gung ho and wanted to get the job done as fast as he could. There were several occasions I had to slow him down since he did not know the effects of the heat on the body.

While some of us know how to deal with the heat, and know our bodies, help the younger folks. Get them right. There is no job more important than your health.

[Otto Nobedder]

...
While some of us know how to deal with the heat, and know our bodies, help the younger folks. Get them right. There is no job more important than your health.

Amen.

I learned a long time ago that I get far more done working calm, steady, and efficient than by trying to "bust it out".

Bonfires burn out. Carefully maintained campfires last until you break camp.

(Granted, not the best analogy for a heat-stress topic... )

Steve S

[RichardH]

The only time I came close to "falling out" was at a shutdown in SC, because I was sweating so heavy I was potassium-low. The gatorade showed up, and I drank 12 ounces without ice, and was fine in 10 minutes.

Yup. Hyponatremia is as deadly as dehydration, and the symptoms are nearly the same. I did a 2-day with the Grand Canyon Search & Rescue team this season and got quite an education.

The issue is not too much fluid in itself, it's the salts being flushed out as a result. So, keep your electrolytes and salt intake up. Salty snacks are actually a good idea.

Another issue is that your body can lose as much as 4 liters of fluid an hour from high heat, but studies show that it can only absorb about 1 liter an hour of fluid you consume. I.e., you can drink more, but it doesn't actually replenish all of what you're losing. So, drinking more isn't a substitute for keeping yourself cool.

FWIW,
Richard

[Otto Nobedder]

I had actually planned... Salty snacks and plenty of water, but I didn't read the labels close enough, and the salty snacks were potassium-poor. Plenty of sodium, but when the cramps began I realized, as much as I hate them, a banana or two in my lucnhbox would have been a blessing.

I choose hot-weather snacks more carefully, now.

As an aside, a big lunch is not the best way to go, in my opinion. In heat-threat conditions, I snack every hour or two, small quantities of food. A real mix of simple carbs, complex carbs, and protiens. Canned "Beanie-Weenies", Fun-size Snickers, individual fruit cups, Vienna sausage, granola bars, etc. The small doses don't distract your energy consumption to digestion, and spread your calorie intake to better match your calorie consumption. Then, a BIG high-protien dinner well before bed, for muscle recovery.

Lunch was usually light, a chef's salad and a fruit cup, for example.

I added it up. On that shutdown I mentioned, I consumed, on average, 6000 calories a day (not including empty calories from beer after work), and still lost five pounds in six weeks.

Steve S

[Wes917]

I keep ice water with me constantly. I freeze four used Gatorade bottles, about 1/3 full, on a slant. Fill one with bottled water from the cooler, and drop it in a neoprene beer-bottle sleeve. Swap it for another once the ice melts. Our shop will reach 110, easy, in August.

I've a bonus coming this July, that I'm going to use about $200 of to buy a "phase-transition gel" cooling vest, like the military uses in desert combat. With a pare set of gel-packs (good for about 5 hours each).

I work better in -10 than in 110. I can always put more clothes on. There's only so much they'll let me take off...

I'm in south Louisiana, BTW.

I did convince the boss to buy "Sqwincher" packs, so everyone can make their own electrolyte drinks as needed...

Steve S

We have the squincher packs also. When I was at the rr we also had squincher ice pops in the freezer. We also adhered to 5 at 85 and 10 at 90 breaks to ensure enough fluids were taken in. I remember a day where I drank an entire case of water and still lost 6lbs that day.

[Otto Nobedder]

While my workplace has a scheduled break and scheduled lunch, there's an unofficial policy that anyone can take five minutes at any time to cool off. It commonly gets 105F+ in the afternoons within the shop. It's not worth the risk to push people in that heat, and everyone is mature enough to not take advantage of/abuse it. Electrolyte drinks and five minutes of rest can do wonders for keeping a pace.

Steve S

[Rick_H]

Now how are we letting this post slip by without a Gatorade joke ( insert " Idiocracy " quote here ! )

Its got electrolytes...

[Otto Nobedder]

I intentionally avoided that one.

Dodging a bullet, so to speak.

I think every human on the planet should be forced to watch the movie, "Idiocracy", so we all understand where we're headed as a species.

Meet me for a burger at ButtF@#$%^S in ten years?

Steve S

[Otto Nobedder]

Wall-E is another good movie on the excesses of overpopulation.

[noddybrian]

I was starting to think you guys had not watched it ! - & yes - it's scary to look back at movies from the 80's & realize many that seemed ridiculous then were predictive of today's society .

[coldman]

Hey all you Yanks in all those hot shops! 105 is serious heat! I dub thee honorary Aussies!
Now to get "y'all" permanent residency all I gota do is teach you how to drink proper beer and and have proper BBQ's

vb.jpg (28.67 KiB) Viewed 1172 times

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This stuff cools you off like nothing else. Enjoy

[TamJeff]

In winter, us welders have many friends about our work space. In summer, not so much.

I like Gatorade. The original green and for a time they had one that was called "Lemon Ice" that was clear as water that I can no longer find. The newer flavors. . . .ehh.

[dynasty200sd]

I'll cut a 32 fl oz. Gatorade by half with water like a ["square grouper" among friends; being facetious]!

[Otto Nobedder]

Hey all you Yanks in all those hot shops! 105 is serious heat! I dub thee honorary Aussies!
Now to get "y'all" permanent residency all I gota do is teach you how to drink proper beer and and have proper BBQ's

vb.jpg

tooheys.jpg

XXXXcastlemainecan.jpg

This stuff cools you off like nothing else. Enjoy

I like a challenge, and we have a local store with beers and wines from all over the world. If they don't carry it, they'll get it for me.

What annoys me is the only commom "Aussie" beer locally is Foster's, and it's not even imported. It's made in the states under license. If I want to drink a beer that's popular in OZ, I'll have a Budweiser...

I'll have to look, but I think I've seen Castlemaine...

Steve S