[klaaar]

Hello. When working in the field between May and September, we usually struggle after 10 AM, especially in the direct sunlight. We can't afford to shut down the whole summer. We have to find a system to combat the heat fatigue.

We're looking at the different types of cooling vests (and hats). Some you put in ice water for 30 minutes or so, and some vests have pockets to hold frozen gel packs. What do you think? Do any of you use these specialized hats or vests?

[Stonehenge]

Klaaar, I see you're in Zone 6 - what part of the country are you in? (I wouldn't think Zone 6 was all that hot)

I don't know that I'd go for vests and such, but would invest in a 5 gallon cooler stocked with ice. Otherwise, your staff will be spending too much time on the stocking and maintenance of their cooling systems, not on the work.

[GLAN]

I give my guys the cooling bandanas........and wide brim ventilated hats

[Raj Venugopal]

We're 4b to 5 and it get's hot and humid here.

Like 100 degrees plus (104 I believe) Fahrenheit with high humidity. Is that hot for you guys stateside?






[quote]Originally posted by Stonehenge
[b]Klaaar, I see you're in Zone 6 - what part of the country are you in? (I wouldn't think Zone 6 was all that hot)

[klaaar]

We are in eastern Pennsylvania. Oh, it gets brutally hot and humid here. My ancestors were Swiss and German, if that makes a difference. I've got a low tolerance for heat. My brain starts to malfunction when the temp gets above 85F. Humidity makes it 10 times worse. My few workers share the same weakness. Hell, we started to complain when we had to work in the sun yesterday afternoon. It was in the 70's.

We've talked about the cost and maintenance of these vests. It would indeed take a lot of energy and time to store and prepare these garments. We'd have to build an economical system.

Having icewater on hand is a must, for drinking and pouring over one's head. That's what we've always done. Problem is it seems that the focus is more on these head showers every ten minutes than the task at hand.

Raj, that's hot.

[Raj Venugopal]

It was 81F here yesterday, with winter stakes still locked in the ground because the frost is still coming up.

Weird climate.

[Turtle]

Klaar I dont know if this helps
Our local Shindaiwa dealer had them and let us demo a couple of the ones you soak in water. The catch is they dont really work when its humid The cooling effect is supposed to be from the evaporation of the water. Im in Florida so all it really did was put more wieght to carry around.

Im originally from E. Pennsylvania and it gets as hot as florida up there

[cutntrim]

Most Americans find it hard to believe how hot and humid it gets up here. We get MANY days over 30 degrees celsius which quickly gets to 40 with the humidex factored in. That's north of 100f.

When it's hot, I drink a LOT of water and gatorade and try to eat bland food. Taking a short break in the shade helps. Keep a hat on your head and wear loose, light colored clothing. Oh, and don't hire red or blond haired Europeans either...

My family's background is German BTW.

[mrusk]

Maybe you are just in the wrong business?

[klaaar]

I only think that 3 months out of 12.

[Fine Edge]

Drink plenty of water, wear a straw hat and try not to think about it. When everyone is complaining about the heat, that tends to be all you think about.
I hate the heat too but now I try to concentrate on the reason I'm out there in that mess to begin with. The busier you can stay, the quicker it goes by.

[bssford460]

i sooo want to tell you to put on your big girl panties and deal with it, but i wont say that,
we had a miserable august here in north alabama, but we made it through. like everybody here has said plenty of water and we tend to take several more shorter breaks rather then a long break less often, also we try to do the hard stuff that is in the full sun as early as possible. and save the shady areas work for the middle of the day.
another thing is lunch, we dont bring our lunches, we go somewhere to eat. usually it is air conditioned and that helps to get good and cooled off during the middle of the day. sometimes its hard to go back out there after that, but that part is just mental. it takes a little longer than just a bisic 30 min eat and go back to work, but i bet it is worth it cause it allows you to get more done in the long run. it is also valuable time to scheme your next move on the job site with your employees/coworkers.

[Pelican]

I'm of German heritage as well, and I despise the heat. I have bills to pay regardless of the weather so I've learned to deal with the heat. We often see temps in the high 90s with 90% humidity, the weather guys say that puts us in a heat index of 110. It sucks to work in that crap, but life must go on.

My solution has been to wear a ventilated straw hat, drink lots of ice water and take breaks to hose myself down. In extreme cases I'll take 10 minute breaks and sit in the truck with the A/C on. You need to lower your core temperature in any manner possible, I use water and A/C.

I've had a few cases where we had to stop work to prevent illness. On one job we started 2 hours earlier so when the sun came over us at 1:00, we had put in nearly a days work. I've also bought cheap canopies to put over our work area so the sun doesn't beat on us.

Next season I plan to try a mister, I was at a theme park in Florida that had misting stations and they were so refreshing! They are a misting ring attached to a large fan which blows a fine mist of water on you. The evaporation of the water provides a cooling effect. My hope is to set one up near the work area to provide at least some relief from the heat.

[Greensmith]

When we plant trees we place the tree so the hole is shaded. We also use the cheap canopies that fold up. They set up fast, and have some rain resistance also.

[ctr]

Klaar, We've used ice vests (both gel packs and actual frozen water), and something called cool suits, which had cold water circulating through tubes. Nothing was worth it. After an hour or two they were worthless, and were too heavy to be effective before that. I'm outside of Reading Pa, (don't know if that's near you or not), and now do what everyone else does: drink lots of water/Gatorade, and try to find ways to stay cool (early start, lunch in A/C).