ANNOUNCEMENT : ALL OF ROYAL MAIL'S EMPLOYMENT POLICIES (AGREEMENTS) AT A GLANCE (Updated 2021)... HERE

ANNOUNCEMENT : PLEASE BE AWARE WE ARE NOT ON FACEBOOK AT ALL!


Seven of the worst jobs to have in a heatwave

Latest Royal Mail and CWU news.This is an open forum.
Post Reply
TrueBlueTerrier
FORUM ADMINISTRATOR
Posts: 69390
Joined: 30 Dec 2006, 10:29
Gender: Male
Location: Proud to be part of the Union

Seven of the worst jobs to have in a heatwave

Post by TrueBlueTerrier »

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/li ... e-21101719

People sat in offices with aircon surrounding them while trying to deal with glare on their screens may feel they have it bad, but it could be much worse.

Merseyside's July heatwave is set to continue over the coming days as the Met Office is forecasting temperatures will stay above 20C for the rest of the week.

According to official government guidance on workplace temperatures, there are no minimum or maximum working temperatures.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) - which is responsible for setting the guidelines - states that this is because it would be unreasonable to set one blanket temperature to apply to every working environment, as certain industries can expect warmer temperatures due to the work they do.

There’s no guidance for a maximum temperature limit, but employers must stick to health and safety work law which includes keeping the temperature at a comfortable level and providing clean and fresh air.

We asked ECHO readers what they thought the worst jobs would be during a heatwave.

1. Welder

The heat of high temperature welding can be unbearable with naked flames and sparks reaching hundreds of degrees.

Matty Jones said: "Welding metal together at 2000c whilst having to wear overalls, a hood and big gauntlets. Oh... and no air con."

Brandon Morrison Macauley added: "I was dying today, overalls an full PPE on. Wow."

2. Postie

We can all relate to just how hot is is while walking outside, but can you imagine walking with a heavy bag of post all day?

Paige Fisher said: "Being a postie has got to be one of the worst in the heat! So much walking whilst carrying heavy bundles of mail and sacks full of parcels on your back.

"I came home and literally collapsed on the sofa for three hours and I NEVER nap during the day."


3. Bus driver

Getting onto a bus in a heatwave is something everybody tried to avoid, but drivers in Merseyside don't have a choice.

Kirsty Garbutt said: "Bus driver is definitely on the list of worst jobs in the heat! No aircon, the fan blows hot air and the stop/start driving means no steady breeze through an open window."

Ste Scott added: "Buses have no aircon and are basically a mobile greenhouse."

4. Chef/fast food worker

We all know just how warm our kitchens at home can get, but imagine working around the constant heat of fryers, ovens and hobs.

Some kitchens have previously reported temperatures as high as 55°C.

Suzie said: "Chefs have a horrible time in this weather but they power through, it's too hot for people not working in kitchens but just imagine having ovens, grills and fryers around you. It becomes unbearable.

"I used to work in a tiny pizza kitchen, absolutely tiny, the pizza oven was 250°c, on a busy night we'd use the double ovens. Chefs are hard-core maniacs."

5. Care in the community and hospital workers

Working in hospitals and caring for people in the community is a difficult job at any time, but once you add the extra PPE and sweltering temperatures it can be unbearably hot.

Christina Galloway said: "Care for the elderly in the community, in and out of the car very fast paced and most are dementia suffers and don't think to turn their heating off or open windows bless them, so we run round doing it all for them."

Linda Walsh added: "It's normally 30 degrees in there with no air con all year round wearing PPE makes it feel like 50."

6. Bin collector

Bin collectors are exposed to physically intensive lifting as well as unbearable smells when a heatwave happens.

Dozens of readers mentioned they felt sorry for people doing this job.

7. Undertakers and crematorium assistants

When a filled coffin goes in to be burned, temperatures can reach anywhere between 800-1,000 degrees, with assistants being present to make sure the process goes correctly.

Some readers also sympathised with undertakers. Linda Dempsey said: "Feel sorry for the undertakers who have to be suited and booted in this weather."
All post by me in Green are Admin Posts.
Any post in any other colour is my own responsibility.
If you like a news story I posted please click the link to show support
Any news stories you can't post - PM me with a link
"Employers are always seeking more productivity from workers, without considering the human factor, the worker's age, the weather conditions and the intense heat. We need to intervene before it's too late, reducing working hours and the load carried by workers, because it's impossible to sustain the rhythm they're forced to work at for many years."

User avatar
POSTMAN
SITE ADMINISTRATOR
Posts: 31356
Joined: 07 Aug 2006, 03:19
Gender: Male
Contact:

Re: Seven of the worst jobs to have in a heatwave

Post by POSTMAN »

Paige Fisher is an arse.
I Wrote
It's good to get these types of threads, the ridiculous my manager said bollox so we can reassure ourselves that while the world is falling apart, Royal Mail managers are still being the low-life C***S they have always been.
My BFF Clash
The daily grind of having to argue your case with an intellectual pigmy of a line manager is physically and emotionally draining.
Post Reply