factory job gets up to 180 - 200 degrees inside by presses in summer

That's fahrenheit by the way. HOW is one to keep cool in life threatening situations like this? Thank god I work the overnight shift - can't even begin to comprehend how much hotter it must be during the day when the temps get to 98 degrees etc. D:

what can I do? I dont want to lose this job and people have been there for 20, 30, 45 years so they have courage big time. There is no ac, but fans, and hahaha I can say for a fact a fan does nothing for me in the summer when I have no ac in my house and it gets 92 and up outside.

i'll be working almost right next to some of the presses with the guys so it'll be pushing 200 degrees easily. help. I really dont wanna quit my job but i dont want to suffer heat stroke or w/e. Theone wall thermostat inside broke last summer at 155 degrees.

a reply to: sarra1833

There's a glass factory here that will work people whatever they want, as many hours as they want, but you are working near furnaces all day long in a building that was built in the mid 1900s and has no modern amenities. I don't know how hot it gets in there in the summer, but the guys in there are drenched in sweat. The only thing I can say is stay hydrated, try to make sure that your sweat isn't trapped in so it can evaporate to cool you.

The closest I've ever come to that was as a teenager I worked on a road crew in Texas, just standing on asphalt in that sun was murder. I couldn't hang. I made it about three weeks doing that.

You could try this?
Cold Pack Gerry Davis

It may be worth trying?

That's rough. I live in Texas. I've seen 115 degree days for weeks straight. I've worked in boiler rooms that got to around 140. I would guess getting up around 200 could get fatal or cause organ damage. Lot's of iced water and frequent breaks is the only way I can imagine a human could endure it.
I hope you are lean. That is no country for anyone with an insulating fat layer.
Good luck.

a reply to: Nechash

I worked at the end of a glass furnace. Wow. That's hot. WATER!!!!!!!! I used to scarf water down and pissed maybe once a day. The rest went in sweat and the human cooling mechanism. So, I'd say again....WATER!

Okies. Do you all recommend any particular water holder that can keep water semi cool? I can't fathom taking in boiling point water into my body haha. It'd defeat the purpose, wouldn't it?

I have to check the link TNMockingbird sent me here soon as I post this. ANY kind of recommendations I will no doubt buy. I really want to keep this job. Yes, I'm pretty lean though I have a little love handle around my belly. I'm 5'5 and currently 144.2 lbs

I have a feeling I'll lose a lot of weight this summer. We get a 10 min break every 2 hours and a 15 min lunch.

Salt too. We tend to excrete salt rather quickly. Depending on your blood pressure.

a reply to: sarra1833
What Intrepid said. Lots of water. Get an insulated water cooler, fill it with ice, and then top it off with water. I have worked 12 hour days and drank gallons of water without ever having to urinate. You will be sweating a lot. Take supplements to replace electrolytes. Baby powder for your crotch and butt crack will be your friend. Painful chafing will occur otherwise.

Work 2 weeks then sue for torture. You'll be rich and famous, maybe even effect the working environment for millions of Americans.

Seriously, I don't understand how that is legal, let alone possible.

If you are working in that much heat DO NOT USE ICE WATER!!! Ice water in those conditions causes a shock to your system and reduces your body's ability to regulate heat effectively stopping your body from sweating because your core is cold. It would do you more harm than good. Simply stay hydrated cool water is OK ice cold is bad and instead of taking salt supplements drink some gatorade but Pedialyte is better.

Lots of water. And not Ice water you generally want it at room temp. Gatorade is even better. Two hours isn't too bad or undoable. You do eventually kind of get used to it.

Thanks all. I'm dreading this but other gals have done it so I will soldier up and do it too.
by the time summer rolls around i'll be capped out at 11.11 an hour so it'll be worth it.

still.
that heat scares me.

It used to be really hot when I worked in the foundry back in 80, There were fans blowing on us but it was around one fifty or so next to the shaker where the hot sinks and engine blocks hopped down the trail with the mold sand. It was like a sauna, many people can handle that heat. I can't see it much hotter than that, the fans kept most of the heat away from us but the cast iron product would still singe your fingers if you had a hole in the insulated gloves.

Can't you transfer to a different job in the factory?

a reply to: sarra1833

don't know where you live, but if its in the u.s. in the northeast, my company is doing major expansion, were hiring union positions in at 17.00 to start, and that's just with some basic knowledge and a high school diploma, send me a message, and I'll give you more details if interested.

a reply to: rickymouse

No sadly I can't. I'm doing the 'woman's work' there. The other jobs are things women can't do. Some have tried. All have failed.

Congrats on the job!!


I used to work in similar conditions ( grease plant) You will need to google nutrition for high heat conditions. Changing the way & what you eat will be a huge help. Magnesium, potassium supplements plus like others have said the pedialyte and I drank room temp water. Believe it or not vanilla soy milk as a protein at lunch made a huge difference, as did instead of a sandwich, a weight watchers canned shake.

I'd take a fruit salad , soy milk and shake for lunch, plus some raw veggies.

It was better for me to eat a regular meal away from work after my body'd had time to cool down, if that makes sense?
It took me about six weeks/2 months to get used to it, but I really didn't hit my stride till about 6 months in. I also saw an endocrinologist, who after some bloodwork put me on a few more supplements.Good paying jobs were hard to come by here, and I was going to make this work no matter what!!

Good luck and go kick a$$ !!!

a reply to: camain

Ah thanks, friend. I live in Indiana and can't afford to move right now.
That kind of money is amazing though. I'm at 9.11 right now and we top out at 11.11 in about 4 to 6 months after starting. It's the best money I've made to date. I was going to get my son working there too but he'd not handle the heat nor is he strong enough to do the men's work.

a reply to: Caver78

Thanks for the food tips. I never would have thought of it. Right now my work meals consist of monster energy drink and chips haha.

I'll definitely plan for the long summer overnights for sure with better food. Anything to help save my life.

we only get a 15 min lunch time so i'd probably have to scarf the food down while working. I work in a State where breaks are not mandatory. They are not a law. The employer gives them out of kindness.

Just like the fans at our job. They are not required. They are a gift. If the workers turn them toward the presses, the cord will be snipped and no more fans. It cools the rubber and plastics down, see.

My job is Union and non Union. Workers choose what they want. I'm going Union definitely.

a reply to: intrepid

But not 'table salt'! That sheet is bad for you. Make your own saline solution from a good mineral or sea salt. I use the pink rock salt dissolved in spring water. You can look up the amount of salt you need.