How do you stay cool in hot weather

Homoudont

Active Member
I've just been recently transferred to the local sort which runs from 5:30ish to 9pm at night. I've worked a preload and midnight sort previously and I'm really struggling with the hot sun on this new sort. The package cars and feeders get so hot I could just dehydrate myself by standing in them. What are others doing in hot locals like Texas, FL and Southern CA to stay cool. I am in the northeast and I know its no where near as hot as AZ.

I try to drink plenty of liquids throughout the day, I keep a Iced thermos with me and a gatorade while I unload. I use the ice water to dump on my head and drink the gatorade and some water for liquids. I've even filled up one of those backpacks with the water hose coming out of them with gatorade to unload with. But it seems like I am on the verge of heat exhaustion by the end of the night. I have to take two Advils after the sort to to get rid of my headache caused by the hear.

Is this something I just need to get used too? Or am I just being a wimp?
 

drewed

Shankman
how long have you been on the new sort? i dont work in a hot area in cold one most of the year, and the biggest problem is getting acclimated to the temp, once you get use to it; it should be less....but if you are ever having difficulty breathing, stop sweating, feel busy STOP WORK and tell your sup
 

Homoudont

Active Member
I've been on the sort about 6 weeks.. but the weather just started to get hot . I've worked much harder on the preload but of course the weather was ideal. I've noticed I've become more tolerant of the weather then when I first started, so I am hoping that this is just my body adjusting to the weather. Also since I am the only unloader, I can unload just a little faster and shut the whole sort down and take a breather. Which I like to do often because I need my breaks.

I haven't gotten to the point where I'm about to have a heat stroke, but I do get tired near the end. At which point I am usually well ahead of schedule so I take my time. Our last scan needs to be done at 8:30.. and I am can be done unloading around 7:55 if I feel good and the weather is 90 degrees all day. So when it gets really hot, I usually get the unload down closer to 8:20 -8:30. I'm not really worried about last scan because small sort is almost never done before me anyway.

I'll keep drinking the liquids and try to keep cool.. but I just don't know how you UPSers do it in Key West, Miami, Dallas, Arizona etc... I love the warm weather to vacation, but to work it UGHHH..
 

browniehound

Well-Known Member
Bring a damp towel and wet yourself when you're overheated.

Sweat is underated, as it cools me better than any other mechanism I can think of. Of course I'm excluding AC and fans.

Once I start sweating, I feel very comfortable working. Yes, its bad to spend more than 10 seconds in the back of the truck where it is 120 or higher. When its 95-100 outside I love it!

This is GREAT working weather for me. I say this because at day's end I feel like I accomplished something. When I sweat all day its like taking a shower from the inside out. I know our customers would pass on the site of me drenched in sweat, but I DO garner sympathy from lovely women that take pity on my sorry appearence.

Give me the heat and humiditity anyday over cold and snow!

I would much rather sweat than freeze:happy2:.
 

satellitedriver

Moderator
Wet a bandanna, or a thin towel, with ice water. Let it hang loose around your neck.
It cools your blood through the arteries in your neck. When the ends start drying, by evaporation and capillary action, it keeps you cooler.
As an additional benefit, you have a handy towel to wipe the sweat off of your face.
I use this technique daily.
It works.
 

dilligaf

IN VINO VERITAS
Pretty much everything has been covered. Know what the signs of heat stroke are: stop sweating,irritability or confusion,dizziness or lightheadedness,headache and nausea, rapid shallow breathing, rapid heartbeat.

Heat exhaustion signs:feeling faint or dizzy,nausea, heavy sweating,rapid heartbeat, cool moist pale skin,heat cramps,headache, fatigue, dark colored urine.

Heat exhaustion can easily and very quickly become heat stroke. If you feel the signs of heat exhuastion coming on stop and cool down, drink water, lay down and elevate your feet a little.
 

barnyard

KTM rider
A couple of the p/ts at our center use a camelback during the shift. I use one for dirtbiking, and it is a handy way to keep water close. You could also look at adding a 661 Core Cooler (do a search). I use one for racing and delivering during real hot spells. I also carry an extra cooler with cold packs and a damp towel.

TB
 

wkmac

Well-Known Member
How do you stay cool in hot weather

This works everytime!

Call the Division manager's office and pretend to be someone of some offical status and tell him/her that you are at their other building and then make up some BS story that creates an emergency that requires his/her presence. Once you see the DM leave the parking lot, sneak up to his/her office and go inside and chillout. Make sure you cut the light out so no one see's you inside but it works great.

I actually learned this from Tieguy who does the same thing but not to keep cool. For him it's something to do with sitting behind the DM's desk and doing some type of roll play and pretending to be something that he is not or ever will be. Not sure what that is but that's where I learned it from!

:happy-very::happy-very::happy-very:

I doubt there's any perfect secret other than many mentioned above but I thought at the least I'd make ya laugh while ya sweat!
:wink2:
 

IWorkAsDirected

Outa browns on 04/30/09
We had two drivers end up in the hospital with ivs because of heat exhaustion last year. Drink alot of water, but also add gatorade, you need to replace those electrolytes. I carry a spray bottle of water to wet down when I can't find a hose or sprinkler, sure I look ridiculous but it's as good as a nap before I dry off, and I dry pretty quickly so I'm not soaking all day.
 

Cementups

Box Monkey
Sweat is underated, as it cools me better than any other mechanism I can think of. Of course I'm excluding AC and fans.
.

I have other drivers question why I wear an undershirt, even on days when it is 100 degrees with 90% humidity. My response:

1. You look disgusting with big old sweaty pits and back.

2. The shirt, cotton or UA, actually holds the moisture to my body and helps me stay cooler.
 
The undershirt is a key (as Cement said) element. The wet towel or bandanna helps me alot. Sometimes when is it really hot I also pour water (NOT ice water) over the underside of my fore arm area. Evaporation is natures air conditioning, that's why we sweat.

IF you ever feel the symptoms of heat exhaustion STOP what you are doing immediately, get some cool (NOT ice) water poured over your neck and then a freshly wet towel the same place until you feel better. DON"T PUSH YOUR LUCK.
 

longlunchguy

Runnin on Empty
It's all been said....drink more, take your breaks (not in the back of the pkg car) and most importantly...slow down.

Safety tip #1. Go slow, make dough.
 

rushfan

Well-Known Member
When in package, I would start to drink plenty of water when I woke up in the morning (even though it was tough to do). I would drink (water) throughout the day. In my water jug, I would put some salt in it, just enough to tell the water didn't taste the same as it did without it.

Also, I delivered to a beer distributer, who let me take a break in one of their 40 degree coolers.

Set a good delivery pace, as not to over exhaust yourself. Deliver slower than you would in cooler weather. If you feel your heart palpitate, stop, take a break under shade or in a cool office even if you've used your break time. I believe that is a sign of dehydration, or heat stroke.
 

dilligaf

IN VINO VERITAS
When in package, I would start to drink plenty of water when I woke up in the morning (even though it was tough to do). I would drink (water) throughout the day. In my water jug, I would put some salt in it, just enough to tell the water didn't taste the same as it did without it.

Also, I delivered to a beer distributer, who let me take a break in one of their 40 degree coolers.

Set a good delivery pace, as not to over exhaust yourself. Deliver slower than you would in cooler weather. If you feel your heart palpitate, stop, take a break under shade or in a cool office even if you've used your break time. I believe that is a sign of dehydration, or heat stroke.
I have listed some signs of heat exhuastion and heat stroke, below.

I have other drivers question why I wear an undershirt, even on days when it is 100 degrees with 90% humidity. My response:

1. You look disgusting with big old sweaty pits and back.

2. The shirt, cotton or UA, actually holds the moisture to my body and helps me stay cooler.
Cement, you are right. I always thought wearing a t-shirt would be hot, until I actually tried it. I don't like regular t-shirts so I wear the 'wife-beaters. And they do help keep me cooler.

Pretty much everything has been covered. Know what the signs of heat stroke are: stop sweating,irritability or confusion,dizziness or lightheadedness,headache and nausea, rapid shallow breathing, rapid heartbeat.

Heat exhaustion signs:feeling faint or dizzy,nausea, heavy sweating,rapid heartbeat, cool moist pale skin,heat cramps,headache, fatigue, dark colored urine.

Heat exhaustion can easily and very quickly become heat stroke. If you feel the signs of heat exhuastion coming on stop and cool down, drink water, lay down and elevate your feet a little.
 

diesel96

Well-Known Member
First I would roll up my sleeves fold a pack of cigarettes in there, grease my hair back and wear my sleaveless leather vest instead of my leather jacket and greet you with my best Fonzie imitation. Haaaaaaay!:winks:
 
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