Ready or not, summer is here. The season officially started Friday, bringing a heat wave and miserable humidity. Step outside and it feels like you’ve walked into an oven.
“As soon as you get out on the job, you’re sweating,” said Louisville Water Heavy Equipment Operator Travis Downing.
Downing’s job, like many other Louisville Water employees, requires him to be outside. While he can’t control the temperature, he finds ways to manage it.
“Hydration. (Starting) The day before and not the day of, that’s the most important thing,” he said. “I always try to wear a hat and glasses. It keeps the sun off your face.”
Taking breaks from the sun when needed is encouraged to avoid heat exhaustion.
“We try to stay cool when we can. Once we get too hot, we’ll get some A/C (in the trucks), and then sometimes we might tag-team a job, depending on what it is,” shared Plumber Leader’s Assistant D’Mitris Brown.
“The heat can slow you down.” Brown said, “If I look hot, they’ll ask if I need a break. We definitely look out for one another.”
Downing echoed that sentiment, adding, “If it’s real, real hot and we’ve got someone in the “hole” for a really long time, we always put a canopy over him. We’ve got a couple fans on the truck. I’m a big guy, so I always had a fan.”
Others find relief by wearing cooling neck wraps or head cloths. Crew trucks also keep multiple coolers stocked with iced water to fill, drink, and repeat.
“We stay hydrated for sure. We’ve got good Louisville Pure Tap®; we might mix it with Gatorade packs to get our electrolytes,” Brown said.
Louisville Water encourages everyone to stay safe and hydrated.
- Drink before you’re thirsty. By the time you feel thirsty, your body has lost up to five cups of water.
- Drink regularly if you’re working in the heat. Drink one cup (8 oz.) every 15-20 minutes.
Drink water when sweating. Anytime you sweat, your body is losing water. Hydrate before, during, and after exercise.