Beat the Heat
Published in: Utility Products
Date: 3/1/2006
By: Jared Laurence
In some parts of the country where winter is usually a bitter, shivering time for work, the weather has been mild. We dont like working when the temperature is below zero, and we do tend to imagine that the warmth of summer is friendly and harmless. Our fleets seem to react in the same way. Our engines seem unwilling to start on icy mornings (though the worst problems in that aspect of engines have been solved by most manufacturers) and they run cheerfully when they can feel the sun’s warmth on their hoods. There are, however, dangers for vehicles, machines and their operators in the glories of summer. We are like machines in some ways; we do not function well when overheated.
Heat can cause discomfort and fatigue; heat stroke is much worse. It happens quickly; it can be fatal. If not properly treated, a person with heat stroke can die within one hour. It happens if our body cannot produce enough sweat to keep stay cool. It dehydrates and stops sweating. Yeah, weve all felt exhausted and indolent in the heat of summer, so how fast can this heat stroke happen and is it really that serious? For one test, researchers used a family car on a sunny, hot afternoon. It was in a community on the east coast but it could have been your community, virtually any US community in summer. Using the air conditioner, the researchers took the interior temperature of the vehicle to a comfortable 75 degrees. Less than a quarter of an hour after the air conditioner was turned off, the temperature inside the car had risen to 115 degrees because the glass and steel of the car had converted it into an oven. Contrary to what you might imagine, high humidity seems to make the situation worse.
Here’s what a medical expert says. “Heat stroke is a potentially fatal disorder that generally occurs in people who are not acclimated to hot weather, older people, alcoholics, and in people who take certain medications called anticholinergics,” says Claire E. Spiro, P.A., in Portland, Oregon, whose medical experience has also been in North Carolina, Colorado, Alabama, Connecticut and Oregon – states with allegedly different climates but some of the same heat problems. “Those medications include antihistamines (which dry you out even more), certain asthma medications, or diuretics (water pills). The key difference is that people who have heat stroke don’t sweat or they have an impaired ability to sweat because of medications they take or other neurological problems. Thus, their body temperature gets very high. It can lead to brain damage, heart failure and death. People with heat stroke typically are very hot, have dry skin and generally are confused.”
Among good preventative measures recommended are:
Frequent drinking of water containing sodium and electrolytes. (There are many brand-name drinks out there too, available at your supermarket or gas station and convenience store, typically bottled water and sport drinks like Gatorade.)
Take breaks during extended, concentrated work periods to avoid becoming too hot; youll probably be more efficient that way, too. If possible, try to locate and use a cool area at your work site, even if its just the shade offered by a tree or nearby building.
Try to acclimate to the conditions of an area before starting the work.
Consider NOT taking your allergy pill (or other anticholinergic medication). Of course, check with your physician as to whether or not this is okay.
Know the warning signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke: muscle cramps, extreme heat, confusion, dizziness etc. If these symptoms occur, get out of the heat! If you see them in a colleague, get him or her to a cooler place.
Spiro adds that work sites where there are several people working should have a definite and understood plan for dealing with heat exhaustion and heat stroke. (Its obviously difficult for a technician working out in the field on his own, especially at a remote site, but his department should plan for the emergency and the technician should know what to do.) “Be prepared to cool a worker down with ice and cold water,” she adds. “Be able to call for emergency help and arrange for transport if needed.”
A good air flow for the operator of your equipment is essential, and encourage your operators to drink plenty of water. Have a supply handy for them. Keeping a bottle or jug of water in the cab makes sense (and it does not have to be expensive brand name water!), but water that is kept cool at a central, easily accessible place for everybody to use may be a better plan. Cabs with air conditioning are almost standard now, but not everyone has that luxury. Many workers out in the boondocks on summer projects still rely on the most basic ventilation. Some of us remember the 4-70 automobile air conditioning of yesteryear: four windows down and 70 mph. Some operators still rely on similar methods. If you notice a worker who is sweating profusely, make sure he or she is drinking enough water to match the loss of liquid, because the body can only produce sweat if it has the water to do so. “Sports” drinks are helpful because they replace electrolytes.
What you wear affects your efficiency in the sun, too. Being fashionable has never been a major factor in deciding what you wear for outside utility work. Loose fitting, light-colored clothing is best because dark colors absorb the heat and light of the sun, and tight clothing restricts the body’s ability to breathe naturally and cool itself. Here’s a point that we would never have thought of! A hat can shield you from the sun but, if you start feeling too warm, it is better to remove any head covering (unless it is required for safety’s sake). Many utility workers wear hardhats in the everyday execution of their work.. Some of these hats are designed to be more friendly than others in hot weather and we should investigate the advantages and disadvantages of those we intend to purchase for our crews.
Inside and outside the vehicle
The good ergonomic designs of today’s equipment involve the positions of controls and the seat configuration. That engineering that makes the operation of the machine simple, comfortable and more productive. Hands, wrists, arms, legs, feet and backs seem to be the body parts that benefit most from good ergonomic design. But, for seasons and sites when the temperature for the work is high, the atmospheric control becomes even more important – for the comfort and good health of the whole person.
We assume that the air conditioning in your fleet vehicles works as it should. A practical and honest source for information about the merits of different manufacturers’ systems may be your fellow contractors or utility companies. Ask them what they have found especially good in any one system. Are there any problems? Is the cab air conditioner itself protected well enough? If you need to rent a vehicle or machine, you should be able to find one that has all the comforts your operators need and not have to be satisfied with a noisier, hotter model without cab and atmospheric control. Manufacturers are offering total climate control systems that involve heaters and air conditioners for the temperature, but also better air filtration to keep dust levels down in the cab.
If your jobsite involves multiple machines and vehicles, you may have to concern yourself with the problems of dust. Water trucks are a common sight at road construction projects, keeping down the dust from scrapers, graders and heavy vehicles. Dust that is controlled and lies quietly on the ground will do less harm (and cause less accidents from poor visibility) than those clouds that swirl around people and machines, getting inside clothing and engine components. There are many pumps available for pulling water to fill the tanks. Remember that some of that water used for dust and dirt control (taken from ponds, lakes or even big puddles) is not clean. Think of it as dirty water and select your pumps accordingly; they should be able to pass small solids. If the water is sprayed through nozzles from the truck, it should be solids-free; bits and pieces tend to clog nozzles. In an increasing number of communities, all the water used in water trucks is potable, taken from public hydrants. In addition to its being easier to spray, the advantages are that the trucks fill much more quickly from the hydrants and the water is always available. For determining payment to the municipality or county, the trucks will have their own water meters.
You can also rent protection from dust and heat. One section of a rental contract for water trucks will dictate who drives them. We have seen some contracts where the driver is an employee of the truck owner, with his pay included in the rental or billed separately (to include wages and fringe benefits) to the contractor. At other locations, the contractor provides his own driver, but be prepared to provide evidence that your driver is perfectly qualified for the job.
Filtering the attackers
Experienced contractors know that keeping hydraulic lines clean is dramatically less expensive than having to empty and refill them. Maintenance for other components of your machines is similarly worthwhile. One of the areas where we detected some disagreement was in the selection and use of oil filters for engines. Engine manufacturers have warned that advanced filtration is not a substitute for proper, timely maintenance. With new systems designed to give better protection against contaminants – and there could be even more of those, with the new regulations for engines after October of this year – it may be tempting to assume that cleaner oil will always last longer and service intervals can be extended to match that. Contamination, however, is not the only reason for changing oil. The additives that are found in almost all the oil we use in our fleet vehicles are depleted with use and they can be replaced only by new oil. If we just throw in new additives, that does not work as well, because we cannot expect to match the original, carefully-researched formulae. The oil-change intervals recommended by engine makers vary considerably and must include consideration of such aspects as idle time, operating conditions and the quality of the fuel, filters and oil used. This is certainly something that should receive close attention in hot, dusty conditions. Let’s repeat it: simple maintenance is much less expensive than engine repairs and replacements.
Perhaps the most obvious hot-weather, hot-operation part of your machine is the cooling system. Checking your heavy-duty diesel coolant at least once a year is a good practice in any climate. More frequent attention is recommended in hot, dusty conditions. Even the highest quality precharged and extended service coolant can be degraded if engine head gaskets leak and allow combustion gases to contaminate the coolant, we are reminded by Fleetguard, a company that offers an easy-to-use product called Quik-Chek to help contractors know when to replace coolant. The system comprises strips that test coolant pH, Chloride and Sulphate levels. You take a coolant sample, dip the Quik-Chek teststrip in it and, within 45 to 75 seconds, you can read the levels. If any of the readings fail, you should consider the coolant “no go”, drain the system and refill it with new, precharged coolant. Like all the techniques mentioned for beating the threats of heat and dust, it’s simple. And it works.