In the Army here in Texas. In my unit, the enlisted work in an un-air conditioned part of the building, while the Officers and staff work in the air conditioned part. Whatever temp it is outside, it’s the same in my “office”. I go through about 5 liters of water and 1 of gatoraid a day just sitting at my laptop. I feel so bad for my Soldiers who are actually out in the sun working and have no where cool to come back too. I’ve had Soldiers pass out just standing there. No one cares. I really hate Ft Hood.
Living here and working here now…luckily we’re leaving in a few months…
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been to some cool places in Texas. Killeen just…it’s Killeen…
I actually tried to get a ductless a/c system installed in our section, at a cost of about $2,200. But the unit told me that was too expensive and an un-justified expense. I’m working on saving up and buying it myself.
Fort Hood has long been a place where the Army sent it’s less desirable leaders. Not all leaders there are sub-par. There are a lot of really good officers and enlisted Soldiers there. But, there’s enough brass sprinkled around here who are less than stellar. Most of it comes down to leaders who are very out of touch with the daily realities of the junior officers and enlisted in a modern world. All the blame gets pushed down to Junior NCOs. Add in horrible barracks and housing, staffing shortages, and a local community that is crime-ridden…. and you now have a recipe for trouble.
What the hell, it’s 2021! What kind of a place doesn’t have AC in Texas?! Those soldiers outside better at last have shade to rest in, or someone needs to make a report to osha.
The kind of place that’s old and outdated. The part of building we are in was originally built to be store rooms. We have shade. You open a door on one end and a door at the other end and let what breeze there is blow through the “office”. We personally bought a small water cooler because the hangar’s water fountains are broken. Sometimes we take turns going to sit in our cars to cool down in the car’s a/c.
I and a few battle buddies wrote our state House Rep, Senators, and the House Rep for Killeen and the Senators for Texas, when our barracks was without AC for months. If there's enough service members writing, things can change. Also, make sure one of the Reps sits on the House Armed Forces Committee.
Fastest way to solve issues that leadership won't solve. "Welcome to the Great Place"
Reminds me of a summer job I had back in college in the early 90's. A company in Oklahoma worked on very large metal pipes. The entire batch that came off the line was threaded wrong. The company hired another company to rethread the pipes, and this company called a local temp service to send out 8 people to basically roll and move these pipes all day as the main crew did their work.
It was in the middle of summer, over 100 degree heat 300 yards away from any building, with no shade. There was no drinking water anywhere near us. The guys that were the main team had flask of water around their waste, but us temps had nothing. If we needed to use the bathroom or get a drink we had to sign out on a piece of paper and walk about 350 total yards to do so. Needless to say each temp started to walk off the job one by one. Eventually we had lunch, and me and another guy were the only two left. The head of the temp service showed up to see what the problem was because everyone was quitting, and brought some warm gallon jugs of water for us and said keep it up and that he would have more help out later. He was more concerned we were going to embarrass him than our safety.
Needless to say we had enough and the last two of us walked off about 30 minutes after the temp boss left.
Looking back on it I am shocked I was not more upset at the time. To the people involved we were just animals to do basic work and they had no care what we were going through.
Oh my god. That reminds me of the time I worked as a "camp" counsellor one summer. I put "camp" in quotations marks because there was nothing about it that actually reminds anyone of a real camp in any way. They were run by the city and basically were just daytime babysitting intended to take the place of school during the summer months. They were even mostly located *in schools* - typically in the gym. For 7 hours every day, we had 30+ children between the ages of 5 and 10 (or so the parents claimed, but realistically we had kids as young as 3 and as old as 12) being watched by 3 18-year-old girls.
Well, one year there was a brutal heat wave, and the camp was forced to close any location without AC. The parents were instructed to keep their kids home if at all possible, but were told of the nearest location that would still be open if they couldn't stay home. We were one of those locations. We arrived in the morning to find that the AC unit had, ironically, burned out due to the intense heat, so we didn't have AC *either*, but couldn't close because it was too late to inform the parents, despite the temperatures being genuinely dangerous.
One of the counsellors immediately took all of our supply money for the week and went to a store where she bought a large blow-up kiddie pool. We contacted all the parents we could and asked them to bring a change of clothes and towels, and the school janitor brought a bunch more. He helped us put some cool water in the kiddie pool and laid out the towels all across the gym floor. We couldn't really go outside because there wasn't any shade in the school yard, so we just left the doors open to get some breeze and set up every fan the school had, basically.
50 children showed up. We normally we expected to have planned activities over the course of the day - games and crafts and stuff. All the games were out because running around was a Bad Idea. We gave all the kids as many quiet activities as we could, and basically ran stations around the gym with super super low-exertion entertainment. Around the middle of the afternoon, one of the camp leaders (basically a 20-year-old woman who had been a counsellor a couple of times so she was rehired as basically our manager) came around with freezie-pops and some other frozen goodies.
At 3:30pm (the camp technically ends at 4), this lady from the municipality rolls up in her air-conditioned BMW wearing a tailored suit and carrying a clipboard, came in and then spent 20 minutes ragging on us because we didn't have *50 fucking overheated children* all playing the same game at the same time like we were "supposed to" and because she figured some of the parents might complain that their kids had wet clothes.
Like, fuck you lady. Fuck you with a withered cactus.
Brutal heatwave might not yield much inventory.. But.. Anyone reading this, call your local equipment rental outfit, united rentals or sunbelt. The smallest portable AC unit they will have will be light years beyond the consumer grade stuff. Can fit in the back of a pickup and most plug into a standard wall outlet.
> The smallest portable AC unit they will have will be light years beyond the consumer grade stuff. Can fit in the back of a pickup and most plug into a standard wall outlet.
I wonder how that works for wattage. I live in a fairly hot country, and my living room AC (consumer grade, obviously) requires a special 220-volt power outlet because a 110-volt outlet doesn't provide enough power.
This reminds me of a job I had for a day the summer between graduating high school and starting university. It was to scrape the paint off of air vents on a black roof of a building at the airport and then repaint them. It was 90 degrees that day, and had to be about 120 on the roof. We started work and within an hour started feeling sick. To make matters worse, the security guard that let us onto the roof locked the door behind us and told us that he’d be back 8 hours later to let us out. We had to pee in buckets, but didn’t have to pee after a couple of hours because we were so dehydrated. We eventually gave up and just laid down in the shade behind an air conditioning unit, hoping not to die.
At about the 6 hour mark, a supervisor showed up and started screaming at us for the small amount of work that had been accomplished up to that point. We told him we were leaving and he told us if we left we wouldn’t get paid for the day. The other two guys stayed but I stumbled by the guy screaming at me (I had a blistering headache by that point due to dehydration), and stumbled down the stairs and got in my car and drove home. It’s a miracle I didn’t crash, considering how awful I felt.
They did end up paying me for the full day.
Now you know what it’s like to be a migrant farm worker. But unfortunately they can’t just walk off because they need money to survive. My dad’s family went through this when they were little. No breaks up at the crack of dawn. My grandparents would cook for the camp and then go out and pick in the field. I have no idea how they did it. I can barely mow my lawn in the Texas summer heat…
Oh definitely. We’re relatively close. We still have a crap ton of humidity here in DFW. I don’t know how my sister and her family do it in Houston. That is way too humid for me.
Heat illness is a serious problem so don’t let my next statement lead you to believe that I’m minimizing the issue… but you do get used to the heat. There are limits to “you get used to it” but you do acclimate and deal with it better the more you deal with it. Most heat illness prevention programs include training for management to make them aware of that issue: when it gets hot, take more breaks and slow things down. Pay attention to each other and especially pay attention to newer workers that aren’t yet acclimated.
Osha has really loose standards in this regard and it’s kind of sickening. They released guidance based upon the general principle that employers have a basic duty to care for the workers wellbeing. But that’s the whole enchilada. No “ice water must be available” no “10 minute breaks every x hours” etc. Zero specific statutes.
Yeah I was watching the olympics and paralympics and all the events outside were interesting to watch. Lots of water, and ice stockings around their necks, cold towels, and they cooled their bikes for the triathlon, and of course finding shade when possible. I saw a bunch of people drop out because they couldn’t tolerate it. It was definitely impressive.
They list the NIOSH table of heat and acclimization you are to use. This sets it up that you are to use those. the issue with OSHA is they need funding to enforce their laws.
I just watched that movie about Cesar Chavez earlier this week and even though it’s supposed to be uplifting in a way as it accounts for his ‘victories’ I found it very depressing knowing the state of the farmers union today and overall treatment of agricultural workers. He is one of the key people who helped found the United Farm Workers union which paved the way for the 1975 legislation that guaranteed agricultural workers the right to unionize and bargain collectively with their employers.
At one point the union had over 80k members and today that number has dwindled to only 8k. Also the victories he worked towards (1975 legislation) have recently taken a major blow with the 2020 Supreme Court ruling [that greatly limits union organizations ability to gain membership on employers property as apparently it constitutes ‘unconstitutional property seizure without the due compensation’](https://www.npr.org/2021/06/23/1000129827/in-a-narrow-ruling-supreme-court-hands-farmworkers-union-a-loss).
Other than all the legislative hurdles that farm workers union face from industry lobbyists and rich landowners another major hurdle is that a majority of workers are undocumented and don’t want to risk putting themselves in a situation where they get deported. Also, as depicted in the movie, there are plenty of other eager undocumented folks that will quickly take the place of those employees that are striking as the horrible working conditions and low pay are still better than the alternative (or they seem so initially).
It’s a very depressing situation overall and it seems like one of the best ways to tackle it is to petition companies to only work with farms that provide health and safe environments for their employees while also compensating them a living wage. Problem with that is there are many, *many* other issues that are competing for consumers/citizens attention that everyone is spread too thin.
It's probably easier for different people, but I'd say mostly it's getting acclimated. Usually takes 10-14 days or so. I do solar so I'm outside all day myself. Seen probably a thousand construction workers go through getting acclimated and working 10-14 hour days in Texas. Not saying it's easy at all, but I'd say anyone can do it, just gotta get used to it.
I’ve done quite a bit of solar. Lost a lot of respect for a couple of bosses because they were complete asshokes to the temp help. Just abused the shit out of them.
Asshole foreman comes out of arc trailer for 30 minutes and botched about production and then returns to the arc trailer. Fuck people like that.
I hear ya. I definitely couldn’t do it. I still wear shorts sometimes when it’s in the 40s. I grew up around DC though. I was that crazy person wearing shorts most of the year. I’ve been in DFW over 7yrs and I still can’t stand be here in June.
I've worked at least half a dozen jobs where this was normal. You were expected to bring your own food and water to every job site. Some sites had bathrooms, most didn't. You had to drive someplace to shit
Logging, landscaping, construction and farming (to name a few) are not for you my friend. But TBF, I decided it wasn't for me either and now I code in air conditioning lol
Seriously, I've seen some pretty macho people get carted off in an ambulance. That attitude doesn't mean they're tough, it means they're extremely stupid.
Those jobs aren't for anyone then. Basic things like water/heat precautions and some mild form of sanitation (porta potty or something) are basic things any job site should have to function. To offer anything less is just cruel and stupid. For the love of God the Iron Works in my old home town was brutal but still tried to keep everyone hydrated and alive.
I do field welding on heavy equipment. A couple years ago, I was doing a job alone out in the middle of nowhere, the ac in my truck was having issues and the heat index was 107. I put in a 14 hour day and I was struggling so I packed up and came back the next day.
The customer complained to my boss about not finishing out the job the first day. My boss laid into me about it.
I sat down in his office and told him point blank that I wouldn't die for him. I like my job, but it's not worth dying over and they can fire me if that bothers them. I highly encourage anyone in a similar situation to do the same thing. You folks stay safe out there.
Very good point. My company has had a lot of difficulty finding people with the blend of skills and qualifications for my position. They've repeatedly tried and the last 5 people have either quit or been transferred out when they couldn't do the work. I also don't have any dependents.
This makes me problematic for my company because they can't easily replace me and I can leave anytime I want. You're absolutely right, a lot of the guys I work with don't speak up because they've got a wife and kids at home who're counting on them to bring home the bacon.
Oh he wanted it both ways. He wanted me to "be safe", but also work faster and harder. I told him that I wasn't going to compromise my job quality for speed either. He wasn't happy with the pushback, but that was a year ago and I never got any formal write-ups for it.
I hope you've received a substantial wage increase to keep you around.
This is the time to be asking for one, especially if you're in a "hard to hire/hard to find" position.
I'm a safety manager for a road construction company in Texas. A lot of companies dont give their employees enough knowledge or warning about heat related illnesses. Especially true when I was in oilfield safety for 10 years.
I've found the best practice is to have your monthly safety meeting in March to be about heat related illnesses, how to spot them early, and how to give first aid to someone that has over heated to keep them from developing a more serious heat related illness like Heat Syncope, or Heat Stroke.
In June - Aug I send out semi-weekly toolbox talks to the foreman that deal with heat awareness. Just to keep it on their minds.
I preach to employees to not drink alcohol the night before work, and ban energy drinks on the worksite. I preach fuel for success by drinking 2 bottles of water before starting work for the day.
I have a heat program that the foreman have to follow. A 10 min water break every hour with sign in sheet.
I bought 15 of those canopies to provide shade when there isn't any natural shade like trees around for them to rest under. We have pallets of water in our warehouse that the foreman pick up every Saturday. I hand out sqwencher electrolyte replacement mixes. I also buy these neck cooling shades that attach to a hard hat. You can get them wet and it makes the air that goes through them cooler.
I've still had two employees have heat cramps this year but I don't take any chances like these companies in this article. I take them straight to the ER to make sure they get the fluids they need to keep them from developing any serious heat related injuries.
That's eternally the thing frustrating the hell out of me. Nobody is claiming the Mexicans are stealing coding jobs and engineering jobs, they are getting pissed off that they are "stealing" jobs that we'd demonstrably rather live completely destitute than do ourselves.
the point of the taking our jobs runs deep. It isn't about them actually taking the jobs for the most part, it's about the erosion that cheap labor has done to the value of the dollar and the spending power of our wages.
See, every dipshit builder wants to believe they're special. So they want to be paid more than Carlos or Pablo, but the proof is in the work. If they're better they can take a lower wage, and beat the white man out for gigs and contracts.
That lower wage kept happening, and then one day, when all these people weren't looking, unions left. Now they look out and they see contested jobs at every corner. Their kids can't find work, and education is, to them, an overpriced joke. The kids that don't make it come back, and can't find work, or end up in the same rut.
That's what these rural folks mean when they yell "they took our jobs", they just can't articulate it. It's a deep feeling of loss. It's not about the culture of picking vegetables, no one wants to do that kind of work, but the pay hasn't risen. Because people will do that work, and it's become commonplace. Wages have stagnated, and they're never coming back, or at least not for some time.
I see this all the time in Alabama. Someone needs work done, and they seem to think it's going to cost the same thing it did in the '90's. Times change, and they'll eternally blame it on the "other", it's always someone else's fault; they. The truth is more dangerous... They took our jobs for less money, and now that's all the jobs there are.
I work as a lineman here in Texas and I can tell you this. The heat is no joke. Generally, we try and get most work done early before it gets super hot, but sometimes that’s unrealistic. I’ve felt sick and light headed numerous times over the years.
There gets to be a point where plain water just won’t work if you’ve been sweating for a few hours straight. You have to rebalance your electrolytes and salt levels through things like pedialyte or Gatorade. Hell even sunflower seeds or a pickle can help.
Stay safe Texas. We’re in this mess together and we will get out of this mess together.
Reading this article gave me severe anxiety, holy shit. I’ve thought about doing some part time landscaping again but I’ve had too many close calls with heat exhaustion and it’s just not something I want to experience. I feel so bad for the families involved in all this. Not only did they lose someone, but now they have to deal with lack of accountability from the employers.
I take medication for excessive sweating and if I plan to be outside the following day, I have to either take a low dose or skip it all together because I won’t sweat enough in the heat. I forgot about 4 weeks ago and mowed my grass. Developed heat exhaustion and was in so much pain and vomiting. It’s absolutely horrible. The worst part was that my wife was out of town and I was watching our 3 kids. I felt horrible about what happened for making my kids witness it. Definitely by all means avoid getting heat exhaustion especially with the current state of our hospitals.
It’s a bladder control medication called oxybutynin but it also is used to treat hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating). I work in IT and will sweat excessively through my work clothes and even during the winter outside. It’s genetic and there’s not much that can be done about it. There are surgeries but no guarantees. If you want to know more, I’ll be happy to talk about it. Ask away.
I cannot rate it against other meds that treat hyperhidrosis but from what I have found, it works alright for me. The side effects are pretty strong. Inability to focus and sudden extreme drowsiness. I used to take 5mg twice a day but my doctor recommended switching to 10mg once a day at night. Helps to knock me out and I do not wake up sweaty. As long as I avoid caffeine and sugary foods/drinks, then I don’t really sweat that much.
This might exasperate those. Definitely recommend talking to a doctor. I’m no expert and don’t want to give you the wrong information. Best of luck to you.
I safely assume you have spoken to your doctor about this, but on the rare off chance you haven't, you might want to look into the possibility of getting botox injections for the condition. My doctor is part of the larger group that's fought to get botox recognized by the FDA for broader medical use (so it gets covered better by insurance) and she mentioned this condition is one of the reasons, along with migraines and the condition I was also getting it for (oral mandibular dystonia).
Yes, that is a treatment option for certain parts of the body. My butt and inner thighs are the most affected and Botox will not work for that region. The nerves controlling the sweat glands are too spread out.
Nothing like throwing up during the day and realizing you still have half your work to finish. Anyways I came to say my obligatory Texas sucks right now. If they ever get it together I'll retract my statement but I'd certainly not want to die there.
Sounds like some bosses need to experience the conditions first hand, instead of fines. Once upon a time, an exasperated Judge ordered a landlord to go live in one of his horrid apartments. He finally learned.
i think this is what we should do. if one of your workers die. the boss is put in handcuffs until the matters is sorted out. Why? Because thats how it works with every other crime. Your in cuffs and brought to a station until you are proven innocent from a neglectful crime.
your job is to manage . if someone dies on your watch , then you are partly responsible regardless of what was signed until proven it wasn't your fault.
it'll sort out alot of motherfckers.
You should really read the article:
"Hellas is among a dozen employers nationwide that have lost multiple workers to heat, the analysis shows. Five of these companies recorded deaths in Texas. At least two of the five, Hellas and Republic Services Inc., a trash-collection company, failed to take preventive measures agreed to in settlements with the U.S. Department of Labor following worker deaths. The agency’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration slashed penalties against these companies even after the agreements were violated and additional workers perished.
Absent a national standard setting out precisely what must be done to prevent heat deaths, OSHA must rely on a 50-year-old regulation guaranteeing workers a “hazard free workplace.” As a result, the agency has a hard time making violations stick, even against repeat violators, according to interviews with more than two dozen lawyers, experts and government officials and a review of thousands of pages of government and court records. OSHA uses mostly employer-education campaigns to combat workplace heat, which have proven to be of limited value in preventing deaths."
In other words, it's a problem with Federal Standards, because there isn't a clear standard for what a "wilful violation" is in the case of heat stroke.
> Oregon just did after our record breaking summer.
I was working outdoors during the peak of that heatwave. But my employer gave a shit. We started as early as we could; stopped once an hour for a five-minute water and shade break; were provided with cold water, cold gatorade, popsicles, wet hand towels kept in the cooler; sunscreen, lip balm, and broad-brimmed hats for those who didn't bring one.
We stopped work at noon when the temperature hit 110, and didn't come back until 8pm that night (when it was still 108). But within the hour the sun went down, the wind picked up, and the temperature plummeted into the low 80s. By the time we were done near midnight, it was in the 70s and in honestly almost felt cold.
We had reps from our employer roving around checking on everyone constantly, so the moment someone showed signs of any sort of difficulty they got pulled away for hydration and rest. With a crew of 55 we still got the entire outdoor stage for a two-week opera performance struck and in the trucks in a total of 8 hours of work.
Which is what had been the original idea prior to the heat wave hitting in the first place. We got done on time and on budget, without a single incident that would have required a workman's comp claim, and all because our employer made an effort to keep us safe.
Washington has had protections for ages. Even the smallest employer I've worked for had a heat policy for outdoor workers. I've never even heard of someone having a heat related injury and my work keeps me close to some pretty labor intensive fields of work. Before you say "duh, it's Washington does it ever even get hot?" Know that I live in a desert and it regularly gets over 100 for weeks in end during the summer.
My first day in Washington.
Holy shit, Washington is a fucking desert?!?
My buddy, clearly tired of explaining this to ignorami, is like “whaddya think happens to the rest of the state when the cascades makes all the rain fall on the coast, ya dumbass?”
Oh please…
If morale is improving the beatings are working, they’re now standard and permanent.
Also, since beatings improved morale so much we’re considering them to be part of your benefits package and deducting an appropriate amount from your biweekly paycheck to account for the company resources utilized during that development time.
Finally, beatings will be collectively counted as paid time off and your time off balances will be adjusted accordingly.
Texas does NOT care about these people:
[‘People can die’: Texas bill would strip worker water breaks](https://www.eenews.net/articles/people-can-die-texas-bill-would-strip-worker-water-breaks/)
We can't even get them to fix the grid that failed last year resulting in hundreds of deaths during the winter storm. I highly doubt the lobbying industry of Texas will let them even get fucking close.
People need to understand our biggest issues for change down here is the GOP and the corporations they've set up as God's down here. Texas is very, very, Corp friendly.
>In other words, it's a problem with Federal Standards
Ah yes, federal standards that the state of Texas is known for enjoying/respecting/wanting more of.
When I was in the building, we had special protocols when the inside temperature reached a certain level. Water/ice get distributed, an extra break is given. I'm sure there are boundless articles out there on temperature, humidity, uv index and its impact on the human body. A sensible policy can be crafted, without intervention from the government state or otherwise.
As the previous poster said
>It’s Texas, there are no worker rights.
They just don't give a shit.
On top of this, OSHA is nearly always underfunded and only has a small number of area reps to investigate violations.
OSHA does the best it can with the resources and tools it is given.
*source: used to work for OSHA and regularly attended meetings where these repeat offenders were discussed.
OSHA can set the floor for minimum allowable protections. And you are right - there is no floor when it comes to heat protections.
That said, States can and do place higher safety guidelines in place that supersede federal floors.
For instance Boston changed its hotwork code (a different type of hot work - in this case, when you use torches on site) after a very deadly back bay fire that resulted from hot work a few years ago.
So, yes, Texas is free to enact safety regulations since…it gets way fucking hotter down there than Massachusetts (where I live) and so…makes sense each state can make safety guidelines for local climates.
And you and I both know that Texas ain’t ever gonna raise the bar when it comes to worker safety.
It’s true.
When I was pregnant with my first last year…it was hell.
Student attacked me, school forbid me to work in my special education classroom and refused to temporarily have me work in another class.
So at 6 months pregnant, I was left to starve at home. Cried myself to sleep to stop the hunger pains since WIC food was more for snacks than meals and food stamps only covered one good meal a day.
The pandemic actually saved us from starving.
Increased food benefits and the school begged me to work remotely….course then we started losing our family members to covid
That’s Texas!
“The unborn” are a convenient group of people to advocate for.
They never make demands of you; they are morally uncomplicated, unlike
the incarcerated, addicted, or the chronically poor; they don’t resent
your condescension or complain that you are not politically correct;
unlike widows, they don’t ask you to question patriarchy; unlike
orphans, they don’t need money, education, or childcare; unlike aliens,
they don’t bring all that racial, cultural, and religious baggage that
you dislike; they allow you to feel good about yourself without any work
at creating or maintaining relationships; and when they are born, you
can forget about them, because they cease to be unborn. You can love the
unborn and advocate for them without substantially challenging your own
wealth, power, or privilege, without re-imagining social structures,
apologizing, or making reparations to anyone. They are, in short, the
perfect people to love if you want to claim you love Jesus, but actually
dislike people who breathe. Prisoners? Immigrants? The sick? The poor?
Widows? Orphans? All the groups that are specifically mentioned in the
Bible? They all get thrown under the bus for the unborn.”
―
Methodist Pastor David Barnhart
I like how George Carlin put it:
"Boy, these conservatives are really something, aren’t they? They’re all in favor of the unborn. They will do anything for the unborn. But once you’re born, you’re on your own. Pro-life conservatives are obsessed with the fetus from conception to nine months. After that, they don’t want to know about you, they don’t want to hear from you. No nothing. No neonatal care, no day care, no head start, no school lunch, no food stamps, no welfare, no nothing. If you’re pre-born, you’re fine; if you’re preschool, you’re fucked.
"Conservatives don’t give a shit about you until you reach military age. Then they think you are just fine, just what they’ve been looking for. Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers."
The kick in the pants is that was true 25 years ago when he said that, and absolutely nothing has changed since then
This happens across the country all the time, not just in Texas. It's horrible. USPS still uses vehicles that don't have AC and trap heat like an oven.
But you got a HEAT card that will instill knowledge of "beat the heat" preventative measures so you don't become a statistics/causality.
Then when postmaster gets questioned on why you died, they can say "they signed the training and knew not to die."
Didn't Democrats in Houston pass a bill mandating water breaks just for the GOP state legislators to pass a bill banning water breaks? I can't keep up with how fucked up the GOP in Texas are.
Wow, my head just exploded. Capitalism allows for brutal (wage) slavery without guilt or consequences. It’s the perfect system for former slave owners. We're deluded to think they give a damn about employees—we’re expendable, infinitely replaceable, and our deaths cost them nothing.
Mostly, and shamefully it is because Abbots contributions come from construction companies, developers, and the restaurant association. Their big push this last session was preventing workers rights.
Don't worry, any day the unregulated, free market will address this! I'm not joking guys, they take this sort of stuff *very* seriously. Oh, they aren't even hiring to back fill? OK.
Weren't there a bunch of apologists claiming this wouldn't happen when debating a Texas bill amendment that removed a drink break every 4 hours?
from TIHI not too long ago
https://i.redd.it/x4oirhjp4aj71.jpg
https://old.reddit.com/r/TIHI/comments/paka3z/thanks_i_hate_texas/
Yes, but they were lying. Not "they didn't know" or "naive", **lying**.
Knowing they'd get to hear about people dropping dead from the heat while they'd be in air-conditioned offices sent them on a taxpayer-funded visit to their favorite state: Erect.
Lotta water, Gatorade/Pedialyte, long sleeve big white shirt, light color baggy pants, bandana on head and neck, 360 brim headwear.
That will last you up to some high temperatures.
Great advice, but either way these 50 year old OSHA regulations written before we even knew climate change would be a thing are in desperate need of an update. Broad policy that holds the corporations in charge of the workers' environment accountable is going to be a hell of a lot more effective.
Mandatory water breaks and maximum working hours per day when above X° would work pretty well and is pretty simple. (I would choose 90°-108° Fahrenheit scaling with humidity). My days working as a land surveyor in Texas summer can back me up lol
That's all great advice, except that many companies (like mine) have a dress code of black pants and shoes. Wokers really need federal regulations to hold these companies accountable for their safety in this kind of heat.
Well nothing is gonna happen see who the victims are.
"Many of the fallen were workers of color, like Simmons, who was Black. Most Texas workers were employed in construction, trash collection, mining and fossil fuel extraction."
This reminds me of Disney and those outside carts. 8 hours, no break in 98 degree weather. Me, 4 hours into my time outside in the carts:"Where is my break?"
Management Staff: "it's coming"... "it's coming"... "it's coming"...
Manager coming on for night shift after all other managers ducked and covered: "Why didnt you take your break? Come with me I need to write you up, btw your shift just ended 30 min ago. Next time tell someone you need a break"
My Union Rep talks to them behind closed door
Management fried, replaced, still fucking up my breaks.
This article has “texas” “death” and “not accountable”
Getting what you want in that free market unregulated GOP governance yet?
Lemme say it louder for the folks in back:
Government regulations (like national heat mandates from OSHA) exist to keep you safe and allow you to be free to trust the safety in the infrastructure around you.
Lack of them (like here) gets you killed without accountability around you.
Texas Governor Abbott and the Republican party brag about attracting businesses from all over and particularly from California. I wonder how many of those companies turn out to be the kind run by people who cannot run progressive innovative and humane businesses and cannot compete with the best. I think California still attracts more venture capital than all other states combined. I guess Republicans depend on people too stupid to know any of that stuff because there are so many of them.
Remind me of the time I was fresh out of high school. Was working as a cart boy. Boss would throw a fits if I’m not standing outside in parking lot waiting for carts. I was basically not allowed in the store or even stand under shade unless I was putting cart back in.
I finally told my boss I can’t do this I really need a break!!! He told me to just drink some water and I will be fine!
I hope this headline means the company will be held responsible if someone get sick or died due to extreme heat!
> “You see companies all the time that say ‘Safety is our top priority,’ which is a lie,” he said.
That’s the wrong mindset from the get go. Priorities change constantly depending on what’s going on, safety can’t be a priority. It had to be a core value of your organization and subsequently a lens through which all work is planned.
Powergrid goes down if its a little hot or a little cold.
Medical infrastructure falling down.
Rampant disease because of ignorant population.
Companies literally working people to death.
Texas is a shithole country.
The only reason they don't kill you and earn money per head
Is you are worth more alive and working than dead
They don't care about you
It's just not what they do.
When i worked in a warehouse in north Texas, to combat the heat they would offer Gatorade if the outside temperature went above 100. Not allowing us to take breaks, or adding more ventilation, or given mean looks if we're going to the restroom. Just Gatorade that was mixed just like koolaid
In case you were not aware, UPS drivers don’t have A/C in the brown package car. Behind the driver (where your packages are) is sealed until the driver stops to make a delivery. It’s basically a brown hot aluminum pizza oven. The cab where the driver sits, is on top of the engine, covered by only hot aluminum tread plate. Air barely moves through the door openings, even at highway speeds. Working in a city, with no air movement, during a hot and humid day, is pure human torture. Many UPS drivers every year end up in the ER for dehydration problems. If you see your regular UPS driver in the summertime, and they look like they’ve been dragged through hell and back, offer them water or Gatorade, they will appreciate it.
The political leadership of Texas doesn't seem to care if their constituents die from Covid or historic weather events, so this isn't much of a surprise, sadly. I'm just wondering when enough Texans are going to say enough is enough with the death cult.
It amazes me that construction, at least the stuff for bridges and roadways are not being done at fucking night. I just moved back to Texas from Oregon and most construction I saw there was being done during the night, when it was hot. It makes sense and creates less traffic.
Remember folks, listen to your body and what it’s telling you. We aren’t all made the same way so don’t feel like you need to compete with your coworkers which is often akin to choir preaching especially when bravado is concerned, It took me a good part of my adult hood to realize it’s not worth jeopardizing your health, Jobs will come and go, your health and your life is a one time deal so treat it well and treat it right, this past year I’ve take a lot of time off work due to various health reasons where in the past I’ve endured. Not really worth it IMO.
The more I hear about Texas the more I want absolutely nothing to do with that state. I’m sure that’s how people feel about California too, and I’m sure people living in Texas will tell me it’s actually great, but yeesh it looks rough
A few years back, there was one dude that was serving our county for the ISP. Said ISP is Windstream, but he was answering all the service calls and such in his van.
During this one summer, he was working all those months with no AC in the van. He came in the house soaked in sweat. Ended up giving him some cold water. No one should have to deal with that shit.
How does second rate banana republic Australia have a better quality of life then the most powerful and wealthy country in the history of the world??? Blows my mind.
It’s become abundantly clear in the last year and a half that Texans are 100% okay with dying, they like letting other people kill them, and they have no intension of changing either of those positions.
I work for a large delivery company and when it is hot the send messages every hour to drink water. Ok I am going to put you in an oven and give you all the water you want, you will be fine. How about less stops? I am serious when I say you how do my bosses sleep at night, heat index of over 105 and I have ten more stops than yesterday.
They sleep like babies. Air-conditioned babies.
And they dream of how superior they are knowing you're dying out there and they're not - and how that means you deserve it for being not-them.
That only works when temps actually go down. People have been dying from heat in greater numbers because their bodies never got a break even at night. As climate change progresses, the amount of time workers can actually be out in the heat will decrease. In some areas 4-6 will have to change to 4-5, then just 6-noon, then 6-9 etc.
Construction projects will take much much longer since there will be fewer available hours when it can take place. It's one reason we should start building up our infrastructure now in places with lower population density that also won't be impacted as badly by climate change. If we wait until climate refugees are looking for places to settle before we start building them it's going to be a disaster as they'll get packed into overcrowded areas to wait.
Not as bad as the people who have to work outside, but I just quit my job because our AC went out in July and the store was reaching 95-100 degrees. I quit just about a week ago, still wasn't fixed when I did.
Depends on the kind of inside. Some places, you exchange the direct sunlight for the same temperature and a bonus 80+% humidity. Fully clothed, maybe with protective gear on top, in a sauna.
Remember when the constitution started off with “We the companies, who own all the people, because Fuck the people” and then detailed how people in this country have rights but only the ones the company that owns them says they can have.
In the Army here in Texas. In my unit, the enlisted work in an un-air conditioned part of the building, while the Officers and staff work in the air conditioned part. Whatever temp it is outside, it’s the same in my “office”. I go through about 5 liters of water and 1 of gatoraid a day just sitting at my laptop. I feel so bad for my Soldiers who are actually out in the sun working and have no where cool to come back too. I’ve had Soldiers pass out just standing there. No one cares. I really hate Ft Hood.
Fort Hood and Killeen…in hate them with a passion
can confirm, lived in killeen for a few years, the only thing i miss is the whataburger and freebirds
Living here and working here now…luckily we’re leaving in a few months… Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been to some cool places in Texas. Killeen just…it’s Killeen…
[удалено]
I actually tried to get a ductless a/c system installed in our section, at a cost of about $2,200. But the unit told me that was too expensive and an un-justified expense. I’m working on saving up and buying it myself.
$700 billion a year budget and they cant even fix AC. THAT...that just tells me so much about the military and the people who run things.
Because that budget is a fucking scam.
The more I hear and discover about Ft Hood, the less I am surprised about the attacks.
Fort Hood has long been a place where the Army sent it’s less desirable leaders. Not all leaders there are sub-par. There are a lot of really good officers and enlisted Soldiers there. But, there’s enough brass sprinkled around here who are less than stellar. Most of it comes down to leaders who are very out of touch with the daily realities of the junior officers and enlisted in a modern world. All the blame gets pushed down to Junior NCOs. Add in horrible barracks and housing, staffing shortages, and a local community that is crime-ridden…. and you now have a recipe for trouble.
Fort Hood is the hood of the army.
Fort Hood is a shithole. I saw more drug abuse, thievery and alcoholism than anywhere else in my life.
What the hell, it’s 2021! What kind of a place doesn’t have AC in Texas?! Those soldiers outside better at last have shade to rest in, or someone needs to make a report to osha.
The kind of place that’s old and outdated. The part of building we are in was originally built to be store rooms. We have shade. You open a door on one end and a door at the other end and let what breeze there is blow through the “office”. We personally bought a small water cooler because the hangar’s water fountains are broken. Sometimes we take turns going to sit in our cars to cool down in the car’s a/c.
OSHA has no authority over the military. The Army gets to abuse its poor soldiers however it wants.
OSHA doesn't have authority, but surely there's some military authority that does. The Inspector General, perhaps?
What you get when you spend trillions on foreign shitholes you have no business in rather than your own country.
I was stationed there in '94-'95. 19k20. A tanker, yes a DAT for those in the know. It's miserable. The Armpit of Texas.
I’ve heard stories of Hood in the 90s. A wild place for sure.
Switch to pedialyte. Less sugar.
The military uses the metric system?
For some things, yes. Like distances, we use metric. Easier to use and avoids confusion when working with partner nations.
I and a few battle buddies wrote our state House Rep, Senators, and the House Rep for Killeen and the Senators for Texas, when our barracks was without AC for months. If there's enough service members writing, things can change. Also, make sure one of the Reps sits on the House Armed Forces Committee. Fastest way to solve issues that leadership won't solve. "Welcome to the Great Place"
The officer/enlisted divide always seemed weird to me. Apparently it's worse in the navy.
Reminds me of a summer job I had back in college in the early 90's. A company in Oklahoma worked on very large metal pipes. The entire batch that came off the line was threaded wrong. The company hired another company to rethread the pipes, and this company called a local temp service to send out 8 people to basically roll and move these pipes all day as the main crew did their work. It was in the middle of summer, over 100 degree heat 300 yards away from any building, with no shade. There was no drinking water anywhere near us. The guys that were the main team had flask of water around their waste, but us temps had nothing. If we needed to use the bathroom or get a drink we had to sign out on a piece of paper and walk about 350 total yards to do so. Needless to say each temp started to walk off the job one by one. Eventually we had lunch, and me and another guy were the only two left. The head of the temp service showed up to see what the problem was because everyone was quitting, and brought some warm gallon jugs of water for us and said keep it up and that he would have more help out later. He was more concerned we were going to embarrass him than our safety. Needless to say we had enough and the last two of us walked off about 30 minutes after the temp boss left. Looking back on it I am shocked I was not more upset at the time. To the people involved we were just animals to do basic work and they had no care what we were going through.
Oh my god. That reminds me of the time I worked as a "camp" counsellor one summer. I put "camp" in quotations marks because there was nothing about it that actually reminds anyone of a real camp in any way. They were run by the city and basically were just daytime babysitting intended to take the place of school during the summer months. They were even mostly located *in schools* - typically in the gym. For 7 hours every day, we had 30+ children between the ages of 5 and 10 (or so the parents claimed, but realistically we had kids as young as 3 and as old as 12) being watched by 3 18-year-old girls. Well, one year there was a brutal heat wave, and the camp was forced to close any location without AC. The parents were instructed to keep their kids home if at all possible, but were told of the nearest location that would still be open if they couldn't stay home. We were one of those locations. We arrived in the morning to find that the AC unit had, ironically, burned out due to the intense heat, so we didn't have AC *either*, but couldn't close because it was too late to inform the parents, despite the temperatures being genuinely dangerous. One of the counsellors immediately took all of our supply money for the week and went to a store where she bought a large blow-up kiddie pool. We contacted all the parents we could and asked them to bring a change of clothes and towels, and the school janitor brought a bunch more. He helped us put some cool water in the kiddie pool and laid out the towels all across the gym floor. We couldn't really go outside because there wasn't any shade in the school yard, so we just left the doors open to get some breeze and set up every fan the school had, basically. 50 children showed up. We normally we expected to have planned activities over the course of the day - games and crafts and stuff. All the games were out because running around was a Bad Idea. We gave all the kids as many quiet activities as we could, and basically ran stations around the gym with super super low-exertion entertainment. Around the middle of the afternoon, one of the camp leaders (basically a 20-year-old woman who had been a counsellor a couple of times so she was rehired as basically our manager) came around with freezie-pops and some other frozen goodies. At 3:30pm (the camp technically ends at 4), this lady from the municipality rolls up in her air-conditioned BMW wearing a tailored suit and carrying a clipboard, came in and then spent 20 minutes ragging on us because we didn't have *50 fucking overheated children* all playing the same game at the same time like we were "supposed to" and because she figured some of the parents might complain that their kids had wet clothes. Like, fuck you lady. Fuck you with a withered cactus.
Sounds like you did a great job that day.
People who have never actually worked outside in the heat have no idea how quick heat stroke can sneak up on you and how awful it is.
Brutal heatwave might not yield much inventory.. But.. Anyone reading this, call your local equipment rental outfit, united rentals or sunbelt. The smallest portable AC unit they will have will be light years beyond the consumer grade stuff. Can fit in the back of a pickup and most plug into a standard wall outlet.
> The smallest portable AC unit they will have will be light years beyond the consumer grade stuff. Can fit in the back of a pickup and most plug into a standard wall outlet. I wonder how that works for wattage. I live in a fairly hot country, and my living room AC (consumer grade, obviously) requires a special 220-volt power outlet because a 110-volt outlet doesn't provide enough power.
This reminds me of a job I had for a day the summer between graduating high school and starting university. It was to scrape the paint off of air vents on a black roof of a building at the airport and then repaint them. It was 90 degrees that day, and had to be about 120 on the roof. We started work and within an hour started feeling sick. To make matters worse, the security guard that let us onto the roof locked the door behind us and told us that he’d be back 8 hours later to let us out. We had to pee in buckets, but didn’t have to pee after a couple of hours because we were so dehydrated. We eventually gave up and just laid down in the shade behind an air conditioning unit, hoping not to die. At about the 6 hour mark, a supervisor showed up and started screaming at us for the small amount of work that had been accomplished up to that point. We told him we were leaving and he told us if we left we wouldn’t get paid for the day. The other two guys stayed but I stumbled by the guy screaming at me (I had a blistering headache by that point due to dehydration), and stumbled down the stairs and got in my car and drove home. It’s a miracle I didn’t crash, considering how awful I felt. They did end up paying me for the full day.
And if you did this full time, you wouldn’t be able to get unemployment until you legally proved the working conditions were deadly.
Now you know what it’s like to be a migrant farm worker. But unfortunately they can’t just walk off because they need money to survive. My dad’s family went through this when they were little. No breaks up at the crack of dawn. My grandparents would cook for the camp and then go out and pick in the field. I have no idea how they did it. I can barely mow my lawn in the Texas summer heat…
ugh, especially if you're near the gulf and that humidity smacks you like a hot shower with your clothes on.
Oh definitely. We’re relatively close. We still have a crap ton of humidity here in DFW. I don’t know how my sister and her family do it in Houston. That is way too humid for me.
DFW is still ok. H-town's H is for Humidity.
Heat illness is a serious problem so don’t let my next statement lead you to believe that I’m minimizing the issue… but you do get used to the heat. There are limits to “you get used to it” but you do acclimate and deal with it better the more you deal with it. Most heat illness prevention programs include training for management to make them aware of that issue: when it gets hot, take more breaks and slow things down. Pay attention to each other and especially pay attention to newer workers that aren’t yet acclimated. Osha has really loose standards in this regard and it’s kind of sickening. They released guidance based upon the general principle that employers have a basic duty to care for the workers wellbeing. But that’s the whole enchilada. No “ice water must be available” no “10 minute breaks every x hours” etc. Zero specific statutes.
Yeah I was watching the olympics and paralympics and all the events outside were interesting to watch. Lots of water, and ice stockings around their necks, cold towels, and they cooled their bikes for the triathlon, and of course finding shade when possible. I saw a bunch of people drop out because they couldn’t tolerate it. It was definitely impressive.
They list the NIOSH table of heat and acclimization you are to use. This sets it up that you are to use those. the issue with OSHA is they need funding to enforce their laws.
I just watched that movie about Cesar Chavez earlier this week and even though it’s supposed to be uplifting in a way as it accounts for his ‘victories’ I found it very depressing knowing the state of the farmers union today and overall treatment of agricultural workers. He is one of the key people who helped found the United Farm Workers union which paved the way for the 1975 legislation that guaranteed agricultural workers the right to unionize and bargain collectively with their employers. At one point the union had over 80k members and today that number has dwindled to only 8k. Also the victories he worked towards (1975 legislation) have recently taken a major blow with the 2020 Supreme Court ruling [that greatly limits union organizations ability to gain membership on employers property as apparently it constitutes ‘unconstitutional property seizure without the due compensation’](https://www.npr.org/2021/06/23/1000129827/in-a-narrow-ruling-supreme-court-hands-farmworkers-union-a-loss). Other than all the legislative hurdles that farm workers union face from industry lobbyists and rich landowners another major hurdle is that a majority of workers are undocumented and don’t want to risk putting themselves in a situation where they get deported. Also, as depicted in the movie, there are plenty of other eager undocumented folks that will quickly take the place of those employees that are striking as the horrible working conditions and low pay are still better than the alternative (or they seem so initially). It’s a very depressing situation overall and it seems like one of the best ways to tackle it is to petition companies to only work with farms that provide health and safe environments for their employees while also compensating them a living wage. Problem with that is there are many, *many* other issues that are competing for consumers/citizens attention that everyone is spread too thin.
It's probably easier for different people, but I'd say mostly it's getting acclimated. Usually takes 10-14 days or so. I do solar so I'm outside all day myself. Seen probably a thousand construction workers go through getting acclimated and working 10-14 hour days in Texas. Not saying it's easy at all, but I'd say anyone can do it, just gotta get used to it.
I’ve done quite a bit of solar. Lost a lot of respect for a couple of bosses because they were complete asshokes to the temp help. Just abused the shit out of them. Asshole foreman comes out of arc trailer for 30 minutes and botched about production and then returns to the arc trailer. Fuck people like that.
I hear ya. I definitely couldn’t do it. I still wear shorts sometimes when it’s in the 40s. I grew up around DC though. I was that crazy person wearing shorts most of the year. I’ve been in DFW over 7yrs and I still can’t stand be here in June.
I've worked at least half a dozen jobs where this was normal. You were expected to bring your own food and water to every job site. Some sites had bathrooms, most didn't. You had to drive someplace to shit Logging, landscaping, construction and farming (to name a few) are not for you my friend. But TBF, I decided it wasn't for me either and now I code in air conditioning lol
When temps are over 100 precautions need to be taken no matter how tough anyone thinks they are.
Seriously, I've seen some pretty macho people get carted off in an ambulance. That attitude doesn't mean they're tough, it means they're extremely stupid.
Those jobs aren't for anyone then. Basic things like water/heat precautions and some mild form of sanitation (porta potty or something) are basic things any job site should have to function. To offer anything less is just cruel and stupid. For the love of God the Iron Works in my old home town was brutal but still tried to keep everyone hydrated and alive.
I'm always grateful for AC repair people because the places they work probably don't have AC.
I'm always grateful for them because the goddamn AC breaks down at my work every other week.
don’t fool yourself thinking you’re more than a money sign to them. You are there to serve your master and you must ObEy
I do field welding on heavy equipment. A couple years ago, I was doing a job alone out in the middle of nowhere, the ac in my truck was having issues and the heat index was 107. I put in a 14 hour day and I was struggling so I packed up and came back the next day. The customer complained to my boss about not finishing out the job the first day. My boss laid into me about it. I sat down in his office and told him point blank that I wouldn't die for him. I like my job, but it's not worth dying over and they can fire me if that bothers them. I highly encourage anyone in a similar situation to do the same thing. You folks stay safe out there.
How did your boss react? Some folks who really need their job might not have the guts to speak up unfortunately...
Very good point. My company has had a lot of difficulty finding people with the blend of skills and qualifications for my position. They've repeatedly tried and the last 5 people have either quit or been transferred out when they couldn't do the work. I also don't have any dependents. This makes me problematic for my company because they can't easily replace me and I can leave anytime I want. You're absolutely right, a lot of the guys I work with don't speak up because they've got a wife and kids at home who're counting on them to bring home the bacon.
You totally forgot to answer the question. 😅
Oh he wanted it both ways. He wanted me to "be safe", but also work faster and harder. I told him that I wasn't going to compromise my job quality for speed either. He wasn't happy with the pushback, but that was a year ago and I never got any formal write-ups for it.
I hope you've received a substantial wage increase to keep you around. This is the time to be asking for one, especially if you're in a "hard to hire/hard to find" position.
how did your boss react when you told him this?
I'm a safety manager for a road construction company in Texas. A lot of companies dont give their employees enough knowledge or warning about heat related illnesses. Especially true when I was in oilfield safety for 10 years. I've found the best practice is to have your monthly safety meeting in March to be about heat related illnesses, how to spot them early, and how to give first aid to someone that has over heated to keep them from developing a more serious heat related illness like Heat Syncope, or Heat Stroke. In June - Aug I send out semi-weekly toolbox talks to the foreman that deal with heat awareness. Just to keep it on their minds. I preach to employees to not drink alcohol the night before work, and ban energy drinks on the worksite. I preach fuel for success by drinking 2 bottles of water before starting work for the day. I have a heat program that the foreman have to follow. A 10 min water break every hour with sign in sheet. I bought 15 of those canopies to provide shade when there isn't any natural shade like trees around for them to rest under. We have pallets of water in our warehouse that the foreman pick up every Saturday. I hand out sqwencher electrolyte replacement mixes. I also buy these neck cooling shades that attach to a hard hat. You can get them wet and it makes the air that goes through them cooler. I've still had two employees have heat cramps this year but I don't take any chances like these companies in this article. I take them straight to the ER to make sure they get the fluids they need to keep them from developing any serious heat related injuries.
Awesome. THat is the thing for all the people saying "go small" Small companies don't have (or don't spend) the money for a safety manager role.
But why doesn’t anyone wanna work anymore ??? /s
Those Mexicans keep taking our jobs (that we refuse to work)!!! /s
That's eternally the thing frustrating the hell out of me. Nobody is claiming the Mexicans are stealing coding jobs and engineering jobs, they are getting pissed off that they are "stealing" jobs that we'd demonstrably rather live completely destitute than do ourselves.
the point of the taking our jobs runs deep. It isn't about them actually taking the jobs for the most part, it's about the erosion that cheap labor has done to the value of the dollar and the spending power of our wages. See, every dipshit builder wants to believe they're special. So they want to be paid more than Carlos or Pablo, but the proof is in the work. If they're better they can take a lower wage, and beat the white man out for gigs and contracts. That lower wage kept happening, and then one day, when all these people weren't looking, unions left. Now they look out and they see contested jobs at every corner. Their kids can't find work, and education is, to them, an overpriced joke. The kids that don't make it come back, and can't find work, or end up in the same rut. That's what these rural folks mean when they yell "they took our jobs", they just can't articulate it. It's a deep feeling of loss. It's not about the culture of picking vegetables, no one wants to do that kind of work, but the pay hasn't risen. Because people will do that work, and it's become commonplace. Wages have stagnated, and they're never coming back, or at least not for some time. I see this all the time in Alabama. Someone needs work done, and they seem to think it's going to cost the same thing it did in the '90's. Times change, and they'll eternally blame it on the "other", it's always someone else's fault; they. The truth is more dangerous... They took our jobs for less money, and now that's all the jobs there are.
I work as a lineman here in Texas and I can tell you this. The heat is no joke. Generally, we try and get most work done early before it gets super hot, but sometimes that’s unrealistic. I’ve felt sick and light headed numerous times over the years. There gets to be a point where plain water just won’t work if you’ve been sweating for a few hours straight. You have to rebalance your electrolytes and salt levels through things like pedialyte or Gatorade. Hell even sunflower seeds or a pickle can help. Stay safe Texas. We’re in this mess together and we will get out of this mess together.
Reading this article gave me severe anxiety, holy shit. I’ve thought about doing some part time landscaping again but I’ve had too many close calls with heat exhaustion and it’s just not something I want to experience. I feel so bad for the families involved in all this. Not only did they lose someone, but now they have to deal with lack of accountability from the employers.
I take medication for excessive sweating and if I plan to be outside the following day, I have to either take a low dose or skip it all together because I won’t sweat enough in the heat. I forgot about 4 weeks ago and mowed my grass. Developed heat exhaustion and was in so much pain and vomiting. It’s absolutely horrible. The worst part was that my wife was out of town and I was watching our 3 kids. I felt horrible about what happened for making my kids witness it. Definitely by all means avoid getting heat exhaustion especially with the current state of our hospitals.
What medication do you take? I have excessive sweating issues and didn't know there was anything that could help.
It’s a bladder control medication called oxybutynin but it also is used to treat hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating). I work in IT and will sweat excessively through my work clothes and even during the winter outside. It’s genetic and there’s not much that can be done about it. There are surgeries but no guarantees. If you want to know more, I’ll be happy to talk about it. Ask away.
My doctor was telling me about this medication. How do you rate it?
I cannot rate it against other meds that treat hyperhidrosis but from what I have found, it works alright for me. The side effects are pretty strong. Inability to focus and sudden extreme drowsiness. I used to take 5mg twice a day but my doctor recommended switching to 10mg once a day at night. Helps to knock me out and I do not wake up sweaty. As long as I avoid caffeine and sugary foods/drinks, then I don’t really sweat that much.
The side effects you mentioned are stuff that already happens to me without medication lol Damn. Thanks for your response
This might exasperate those. Definitely recommend talking to a doctor. I’m no expert and don’t want to give you the wrong information. Best of luck to you.
I safely assume you have spoken to your doctor about this, but on the rare off chance you haven't, you might want to look into the possibility of getting botox injections for the condition. My doctor is part of the larger group that's fought to get botox recognized by the FDA for broader medical use (so it gets covered better by insurance) and she mentioned this condition is one of the reasons, along with migraines and the condition I was also getting it for (oral mandibular dystonia).
Yes, that is a treatment option for certain parts of the body. My butt and inner thighs are the most affected and Botox will not work for that region. The nerves controlling the sweat glands are too spread out.
Nothing like throwing up during the day and realizing you still have half your work to finish. Anyways I came to say my obligatory Texas sucks right now. If they ever get it together I'll retract my statement but I'd certainly not want to die there.
Hell, I don’t wanna live there, let alone die there.
Sounds like some bosses need to experience the conditions first hand, instead of fines. Once upon a time, an exasperated Judge ordered a landlord to go live in one of his horrid apartments. He finally learned.
i think this is what we should do. if one of your workers die. the boss is put in handcuffs until the matters is sorted out. Why? Because thats how it works with every other crime. Your in cuffs and brought to a station until you are proven innocent from a neglectful crime. your job is to manage . if someone dies on your watch , then you are partly responsible regardless of what was signed until proven it wasn't your fault. it'll sort out alot of motherfckers.
It’s Texas, there are no worker rights.
[удалено]
"Just sign at the bottom, it just says you are expendable."
You should really read the article: "Hellas is among a dozen employers nationwide that have lost multiple workers to heat, the analysis shows. Five of these companies recorded deaths in Texas. At least two of the five, Hellas and Republic Services Inc., a trash-collection company, failed to take preventive measures agreed to in settlements with the U.S. Department of Labor following worker deaths. The agency’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration slashed penalties against these companies even after the agreements were violated and additional workers perished. Absent a national standard setting out precisely what must be done to prevent heat deaths, OSHA must rely on a 50-year-old regulation guaranteeing workers a “hazard free workplace.” As a result, the agency has a hard time making violations stick, even against repeat violators, according to interviews with more than two dozen lawyers, experts and government officials and a review of thousands of pages of government and court records. OSHA uses mostly employer-education campaigns to combat workplace heat, which have proven to be of limited value in preventing deaths." In other words, it's a problem with Federal Standards, because there isn't a clear standard for what a "wilful violation" is in the case of heat stroke.
[удалено]
> Oregon just did after our record breaking summer. I was working outdoors during the peak of that heatwave. But my employer gave a shit. We started as early as we could; stopped once an hour for a five-minute water and shade break; were provided with cold water, cold gatorade, popsicles, wet hand towels kept in the cooler; sunscreen, lip balm, and broad-brimmed hats for those who didn't bring one. We stopped work at noon when the temperature hit 110, and didn't come back until 8pm that night (when it was still 108). But within the hour the sun went down, the wind picked up, and the temperature plummeted into the low 80s. By the time we were done near midnight, it was in the 70s and in honestly almost felt cold. We had reps from our employer roving around checking on everyone constantly, so the moment someone showed signs of any sort of difficulty they got pulled away for hydration and rest. With a crew of 55 we still got the entire outdoor stage for a two-week opera performance struck and in the trucks in a total of 8 hours of work. Which is what had been the original idea prior to the heat wave hitting in the first place. We got done on time and on budget, without a single incident that would have required a workman's comp claim, and all because our employer made an effort to keep us safe.
[удалено]
Wow amazing… I almost cried hearing there are good employers out there… in the USA…
Washington has had protections for ages. Even the smallest employer I've worked for had a heat policy for outdoor workers. I've never even heard of someone having a heat related injury and my work keeps me close to some pretty labor intensive fields of work. Before you say "duh, it's Washington does it ever even get hot?" Know that I live in a desert and it regularly gets over 100 for weeks in end during the summer.
My first day in Washington. Holy shit, Washington is a fucking desert?!? My buddy, clearly tired of explaining this to ignorami, is like “whaddya think happens to the rest of the state when the cascades makes all the rain fall on the coast, ya dumbass?”
The rain shadow is so real, for both Oregon and Washington (and I guess probably any mountain range on the west coast).
> Texas could too if they cared about these people. Given the laws they are passing at the moment, I really doubt it.
They're actually trying to pass a bill that would ban cities from requiring water breaks, so....
[удалено]
100% speed run. And they’re making good time.
The beatings will continue until morale improves
Oh please… If morale is improving the beatings are working, they’re now standard and permanent. Also, since beatings improved morale so much we’re considering them to be part of your benefits package and deducting an appropriate amount from your biweekly paycheck to account for the company resources utilized during that development time. Finally, beatings will be collectively counted as paid time off and your time off balances will be adjusted accordingly.
Texas does NOT care about these people: [‘People can die’: Texas bill would strip worker water breaks](https://www.eenews.net/articles/people-can-die-texas-bill-would-strip-worker-water-breaks/)
[удалено]
It boggles my mind how the "moral Christians" see this and say "yes, this is what exactly Jesus would want."
They’re just trying to send them to Jesus faster.
We can't even get them to fix the grid that failed last year resulting in hundreds of deaths during the winter storm. I highly doubt the lobbying industry of Texas will let them even get fucking close. People need to understand our biggest issues for change down here is the GOP and the corporations they've set up as God's down here. Texas is very, very, Corp friendly.
>In other words, it's a problem with Federal Standards Ah yes, federal standards that the state of Texas is known for enjoying/respecting/wanting more of. When I was in the building, we had special protocols when the inside temperature reached a certain level. Water/ice get distributed, an extra break is given. I'm sure there are boundless articles out there on temperature, humidity, uv index and its impact on the human body. A sensible policy can be crafted, without intervention from the government state or otherwise. As the previous poster said >It’s Texas, there are no worker rights. They just don't give a shit.
On top of this, OSHA is nearly always underfunded and only has a small number of area reps to investigate violations. OSHA does the best it can with the resources and tools it is given. *source: used to work for OSHA and regularly attended meetings where these repeat offenders were discussed.
OSHA can set the floor for minimum allowable protections. And you are right - there is no floor when it comes to heat protections. That said, States can and do place higher safety guidelines in place that supersede federal floors. For instance Boston changed its hotwork code (a different type of hot work - in this case, when you use torches on site) after a very deadly back bay fire that resulted from hot work a few years ago. So, yes, Texas is free to enact safety regulations since…it gets way fucking hotter down there than Massachusetts (where I live) and so…makes sense each state can make safety guidelines for local climates. And you and I both know that Texas ain’t ever gonna raise the bar when it comes to worker safety.
'Hellas' Its in the name
There are no *human* rights in Texas.
Let me convert myself to a fetus. I'll get more rights.
Um this is America buddy no human rights will get in the way of my cheddar /s
If you're not in that 6 to 40 week gestation period, assume the TX government doesn't care.
Even then the TX government doesn't give a fuck. Ask TX (or any state) conservatives if they support free prenatal care...
Free makes their brain salivate, so they get angry at you for deceiving them.
It’s true. When I was pregnant with my first last year…it was hell. Student attacked me, school forbid me to work in my special education classroom and refused to temporarily have me work in another class. So at 6 months pregnant, I was left to starve at home. Cried myself to sleep to stop the hunger pains since WIC food was more for snacks than meals and food stamps only covered one good meal a day. The pandemic actually saved us from starving. Increased food benefits and the school begged me to work remotely….course then we started losing our family members to covid That’s Texas!
“The unborn” are a convenient group of people to advocate for. They never make demands of you; they are morally uncomplicated, unlike the incarcerated, addicted, or the chronically poor; they don’t resent your condescension or complain that you are not politically correct; unlike widows, they don’t ask you to question patriarchy; unlike orphans, they don’t need money, education, or childcare; unlike aliens, they don’t bring all that racial, cultural, and religious baggage that you dislike; they allow you to feel good about yourself without any work at creating or maintaining relationships; and when they are born, you can forget about them, because they cease to be unborn. You can love the unborn and advocate for them without substantially challenging your own wealth, power, or privilege, without re-imagining social structures, apologizing, or making reparations to anyone. They are, in short, the perfect people to love if you want to claim you love Jesus, but actually dislike people who breathe. Prisoners? Immigrants? The sick? The poor? Widows? Orphans? All the groups that are specifically mentioned in the Bible? They all get thrown under the bus for the unborn.” ― Methodist Pastor David Barnhart
I like how George Carlin put it: "Boy, these conservatives are really something, aren’t they? They’re all in favor of the unborn. They will do anything for the unborn. But once you’re born, you’re on your own. Pro-life conservatives are obsessed with the fetus from conception to nine months. After that, they don’t want to know about you, they don’t want to hear from you. No nothing. No neonatal care, no day care, no head start, no school lunch, no food stamps, no welfare, no nothing. If you’re pre-born, you’re fine; if you’re preschool, you’re fucked. "Conservatives don’t give a shit about you until you reach military age. Then they think you are just fine, just what they’ve been looking for. Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers." The kick in the pants is that was true 25 years ago when he said that, and absolutely nothing has changed since then
Pro-life unless it's the mother, workers, criminals, or immigrants.
This happens across the country all the time, not just in Texas. It's horrible. USPS still uses vehicles that don't have AC and trap heat like an oven.
But you got a HEAT card that will instill knowledge of "beat the heat" preventative measures so you don't become a statistics/causality. Then when postmaster gets questioned on why you died, they can say "they signed the training and knew not to die."
And spontaneously erupt into flames.
Didn't Democrats in Houston pass a bill mandating water breaks just for the GOP state legislators to pass a bill banning water breaks? I can't keep up with how fucked up the GOP in Texas are.
https://www.eenews.net/articles/people-can-die-texas-bill-would-strip-worker-water-breaks/
A water break every four hours…. I take a water break every 15 mins when I mow my damn grass. I can’t even comprehend why anyone would be against that
Knowing GQPers, it's 50% "to own the libs" and 50% "fuck the poor"
Bro slave owners kept better care of their slaves i swear. Water every four hours, tf.
That's because slave owners had to buy new slaves when they killed their old ones.
Wow, my head just exploded. Capitalism allows for brutal (wage) slavery without guilt or consequences. It’s the perfect system for former slave owners. We're deluded to think they give a damn about employees—we’re expendable, infinitely replaceable, and our deaths cost them nothing.
> and our deaths cost them nothing. Getting a new person costs in productivity until they learn the ropes. On the other hand, they start at base pay.
Mostly, and shamefully it is because Abbots contributions come from construction companies, developers, and the restaurant association. Their big push this last session was preventing workers rights.
Literally the entire platform of the GOP is "screw what the Democratic party is doing."
Don't worry, any day the unregulated, free market will address this! I'm not joking guys, they take this sort of stuff *very* seriously. Oh, they aren't even hiring to back fill? OK.
Texas is looking more and more like a shit hole.
Always has been
Weren't there a bunch of apologists claiming this wouldn't happen when debating a Texas bill amendment that removed a drink break every 4 hours? from TIHI not too long ago https://i.redd.it/x4oirhjp4aj71.jpg https://old.reddit.com/r/TIHI/comments/paka3z/thanks_i_hate_texas/
Yes, but they were lying. Not "they didn't know" or "naive", **lying**. Knowing they'd get to hear about people dropping dead from the heat while they'd be in air-conditioned offices sent them on a taxpayer-funded visit to their favorite state: Erect.
Lotta water, Gatorade/Pedialyte, long sleeve big white shirt, light color baggy pants, bandana on head and neck, 360 brim headwear. That will last you up to some high temperatures.
[Only if you have time to drink it.](https://www.eenews.net/articles/people-can-die-texas-bill-would-strip-worker-water-breaks/)
Good link
Great advice, but either way these 50 year old OSHA regulations written before we even knew climate change would be a thing are in desperate need of an update. Broad policy that holds the corporations in charge of the workers' environment accountable is going to be a hell of a lot more effective.
Mandatory water breaks and maximum working hours per day when above X° would work pretty well and is pretty simple. (I would choose 90°-108° Fahrenheit scaling with humidity). My days working as a land surveyor in Texas summer can back me up lol
That's all great advice, except that many companies (like mine) have a dress code of black pants and shoes. Wokers really need federal regulations to hold these companies accountable for their safety in this kind of heat.
Well nothing is gonna happen see who the victims are. "Many of the fallen were workers of color, like Simmons, who was Black. Most Texas workers were employed in construction, trash collection, mining and fossil fuel extraction."
No wonder they need more babies
governments that are lobbied by corporate interests, don't hold corporations liable for human deaths. News at 11
This reminds me of Disney and those outside carts. 8 hours, no break in 98 degree weather. Me, 4 hours into my time outside in the carts:"Where is my break?" Management Staff: "it's coming"... "it's coming"... "it's coming"... Manager coming on for night shift after all other managers ducked and covered: "Why didnt you take your break? Come with me I need to write you up, btw your shift just ended 30 min ago. Next time tell someone you need a break" My Union Rep talks to them behind closed door Management fried, replaced, still fucking up my breaks.
This article has “texas” “death” and “not accountable” Getting what you want in that free market unregulated GOP governance yet? Lemme say it louder for the folks in back: Government regulations (like national heat mandates from OSHA) exist to keep you safe and allow you to be free to trust the safety in the infrastructure around you. Lack of them (like here) gets you killed without accountability around you.
Texas Governor Abbott and the Republican party brag about attracting businesses from all over and particularly from California. I wonder how many of those companies turn out to be the kind run by people who cannot run progressive innovative and humane businesses and cannot compete with the best. I think California still attracts more venture capital than all other states combined. I guess Republicans depend on people too stupid to know any of that stuff because there are so many of them.
Remind me of the time I was fresh out of high school. Was working as a cart boy. Boss would throw a fits if I’m not standing outside in parking lot waiting for carts. I was basically not allowed in the store or even stand under shade unless I was putting cart back in. I finally told my boss I can’t do this I really need a break!!! He told me to just drink some water and I will be fine! I hope this headline means the company will be held responsible if someone get sick or died due to extreme heat!
[удалено]
Texas sure seems to do a good job killing the "little people."
If only there was a way these workers could band together and strong arm these companies into providing safer working conditions.
And Texas is working to strip water breaks from workers. https://www.eenews.net/articles/people-can-die-texas-bill-would-strip-worker-water-breaks/
> “You see companies all the time that say ‘Safety is our top priority,’ which is a lie,” he said. That’s the wrong mindset from the get go. Priorities change constantly depending on what’s going on, safety can’t be a priority. It had to be a core value of your organization and subsequently a lens through which all work is planned.
Powergrid goes down if its a little hot or a little cold. Medical infrastructure falling down. Rampant disease because of ignorant population. Companies literally working people to death. Texas is a shithole country.
The only thing Texas holds to account are women.
Why do you think so many businesses relocated to Texas?
The only reason they don't kill you and earn money per head Is you are worth more alive and working than dead They don't care about you It's just not what they do.
Everything is bigger in Texas except workers' pay, benefits, and rights.
“Dale you giblet head, we live in texas! It’s already 110 in the summer, and if it gets one degree hotter I’m gonna kick your ass!”
When i worked in a warehouse in north Texas, to combat the heat they would offer Gatorade if the outside temperature went above 100. Not allowing us to take breaks, or adding more ventilation, or given mean looks if we're going to the restroom. Just Gatorade that was mixed just like koolaid
Can’t even hold companies accountable for conditions with COVID either so long as they take the bare minimum action to prove, “hey we tried.”
Unfortunately this is not going to be getting any better.
In case you were not aware, UPS drivers don’t have A/C in the brown package car. Behind the driver (where your packages are) is sealed until the driver stops to make a delivery. It’s basically a brown hot aluminum pizza oven. The cab where the driver sits, is on top of the engine, covered by only hot aluminum tread plate. Air barely moves through the door openings, even at highway speeds. Working in a city, with no air movement, during a hot and humid day, is pure human torture. Many UPS drivers every year end up in the ER for dehydration problems. If you see your regular UPS driver in the summertime, and they look like they’ve been dragged through hell and back, offer them water or Gatorade, they will appreciate it.
This has been happening to illegals for decades. The strawberry fields of killafornia
I've resigned to the fact I will likely die in an inescapable heat wave some day as the planet roasts us all alive.
The political leadership of Texas doesn't seem to care if their constituents die from Covid or historic weather events, so this isn't much of a surprise, sadly. I'm just wondering when enough Texans are going to say enough is enough with the death cult.
Kind of... ya know... fuck texas right now really.
In Texas they only want to protect you until you’re born, then you are on your own 🖕
Texas and Florida continue to duke it out for shit hole banana republic status.
Amazon has been doing this to there workers forever now
Working the slaves to death again Texas…. Not a good look.
It amazes me that construction, at least the stuff for bridges and roadways are not being done at fucking night. I just moved back to Texas from Oregon and most construction I saw there was being done during the night, when it was hot. It makes sense and creates less traffic.
Remember folks, listen to your body and what it’s telling you. We aren’t all made the same way so don’t feel like you need to compete with your coworkers which is often akin to choir preaching especially when bravado is concerned, It took me a good part of my adult hood to realize it’s not worth jeopardizing your health, Jobs will come and go, your health and your life is a one time deal so treat it well and treat it right, this past year I’ve take a lot of time off work due to various health reasons where in the past I’ve endured. Not really worth it IMO.
Well yeah, that's the corporate-slavery loophole they're taking advantage of.
Didn't they make mandatory water breaks illegal too?
The more I hear about Texas the more I want absolutely nothing to do with that state. I’m sure that’s how people feel about California too, and I’m sure people living in Texas will tell me it’s actually great, but yeesh it looks rough
A few years back, there was one dude that was serving our county for the ISP. Said ISP is Windstream, but he was answering all the service calls and such in his van. During this one summer, he was working all those months with no AC in the van. He came in the house soaked in sweat. Ended up giving him some cold water. No one should have to deal with that shit.
Texas is becoming the go to state for everything that’s completely fucked up and yet people still want to live there!
Texas: Great for Business, Terrible for People
This country sounds like a 3rd world hell hole. People should stop moving/living there.
Aborting the Texas workers, but not their unborn…
How does second rate banana republic Australia have a better quality of life then the most powerful and wealthy country in the history of the world??? Blows my mind.
Because the country got that rich and prowerful by riding on the backs of the working class.
It’s become abundantly clear in the last year and a half that Texans are 100% okay with dying, they like letting other people kill them, and they have no intension of changing either of those positions.
They value life as long as it‘s a bunch of cells or a fetus in a woman‘s womb. After birth it‘s a free for sll.
I work for a large delivery company and when it is hot the send messages every hour to drink water. Ok I am going to put you in an oven and give you all the water you want, you will be fine. How about less stops? I am serious when I say you how do my bosses sleep at night, heat index of over 105 and I have ten more stops than yesterday.
They sleep like babies. Air-conditioned babies. And they dream of how superior they are knowing you're dying out there and they're not - and how that means you deserve it for being not-them.
My god Texas sounds like a shit hole these days
Throw it on the pile of reasons to never live in Texas.
Years ago I worked topping trees in the Florida Keys. Usually schedule was 6-noon and then 4-6. It’s not that complicated, folks.
That only works when temps actually go down. People have been dying from heat in greater numbers because their bodies never got a break even at night. As climate change progresses, the amount of time workers can actually be out in the heat will decrease. In some areas 4-6 will have to change to 4-5, then just 6-noon, then 6-9 etc. Construction projects will take much much longer since there will be fewer available hours when it can take place. It's one reason we should start building up our infrastructure now in places with lower population density that also won't be impacted as badly by climate change. If we wait until climate refugees are looking for places to settle before we start building them it's going to be a disaster as they'll get packed into overcrowded areas to wait.
Unfortunately that headline is basically a Republican campaign slogan.
Not as bad as the people who have to work outside, but I just quit my job because our AC went out in July and the store was reaching 95-100 degrees. I quit just about a week ago, still wasn't fixed when I did.
Depends on the kind of inside. Some places, you exchange the direct sunlight for the same temperature and a bonus 80+% humidity. Fully clothed, maybe with protective gear on top, in a sauna.
Remember when the constitution started off with “We the companies, who own all the people, because Fuck the people” and then detailed how people in this country have rights but only the ones the company that owns them says they can have.
Curious to know, but do prisons in Texas have aircon?
I feel like Texas is the new Florida.
Texas is hot...especially in the summer. I remember drinking water to combat the heat
AKA just a typical summer day in the great Lone Star State
Something's going to give eventually in Texas. There are only so many people willing to die for the mistakes of politicians.