Painting Meters, Painting Corners Tough Jobs in the Heat

Just like when winter storms roll through, safety officials encourage people to stay indoors in climate-controlled comfort if possible when a heat wave hits like the one forecast for this week.

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory with temperatures expected to reach the mid-90s on Thursday with extremely high humidity levels. Anyone working an outdoor job needs to take precautions. Construction workers come to mind right away when thinking about outdoor jobs.

My son is working a job this summer painting gas meters for a gas and electric company. He does get a break in between each spot with a trip in an air-conditioned vehicle waiting for him. He might find himself playing in a baseball game Thursday afternoon at 1PM, possibly the hottest time of day on what could be the hottest day of the year. I feel for the umpires who are frequently wearing black along with their protective gear, and sometimes working doubleheaders.

It's not the type of day I would want to be a landscaper, which actually is the case on most any day. A roofer will have no escape from the sun. A ditch digger will have copious amounts of sweat to go along with the dirt.

Let's hope everyone is safe and cautious during the heat and remember that a car turns into a oven quickly in these conditions.