KILLEEN, Texas — The temperatures outside have stayed above 100° for a while now, and construction crews in Killeen are feeling the heat.
”I try to be a good employee to my boss man, and I'm just happy to have a job, but God’s cooking us,” said Wieland Construction employee, Phillip Townsend.
They’re baking in the sun, even with making adjustments to work schedules to beat the high temperatures to the finish line.
”It is tough working in this heat day after day,” said owner of Wieland Constuction, Phillip Townsend.
“We try to start a little bit earlier so we can get off a little bit earlier. That way, the heat of the day is not mid-day.”
They are also doing all they can to stay hydrated, but that’s not all.
When the crew is inside, they try to work with fans instead of A/C because walking from that A/C, back into the heat over and over again, can be just as dangerous.
”It makes it harder for your body to adjust when you’re coming in and out — particularly during the hottest part of the day,” said Director of the Department of Nursing at Texas A&M University Central Texas, Dr. Amy Mersiovsky.
“If you’re outside working for a couple of hours and just come in for a few minutes, you really don’t have time to recover, and your body doesn’t have time to adjust.”
With consistent exposure to excessive heat, it will get harder and harder to stay hydrated.
”Over the days, it’s hard to recover in between,” Dr. Mersiovsky said.
“The longer this goes on, the worse it’s going to get.”
This is why the Wieland Construction crew has a warning for anyone new to working in this environment.
”Texas heat is something serious. If you aren’t ready, don’t get here and get to playing,” Townsend said.
“It's nothing to play with. People can die out here.”
If you are working outdoors, stay hydrated with water and electrolytes, take regular breaks, and if you feel or see signs of heat related, get cool as soon as possible and call 9-1-1 if necessary.
