ing the day with more water. Drinking a lot of coffee and sodas can make a person lose more fluids. In the plant for breaks we provide powder Gatorade for one cooler every day, and also have a cooler of water. The supervisors watch for signs of heat stress. If anyone seems to be getting too hot, we catch it before there are any problems. So far we’ve never had anyone who’s had to go to the hospital.” Delivery personnel also have small coolers of Gatorade available. Jay reports that most of the drivers are long-term employees and are able to handle the heat by working smart and staying hydrated. Working smart is a part of safety training at Wilbert Vaults. “Each year we have a safety meeting,” Jay states, “and we include how to adjust to working in the heat. Whenever we talk to potential employees, we are sure to cover the heat conditions in which we often have to work.” North Chesterfield, VA (Richmond area) Some burial vault manufacturers have to deal with high humidity as well as high heat, which can make working conditions feel even hotter. E.O. “Earnie” Markham,
The work can’t get done without them. President of Markham Vault Services, reports: “We had temperatures around 100 and above for approximately 10 straight days in the Richmond area. The humidity made it even worse. A major storm went through, and some homes and businesses in our area were without power for two or three days. Some went without power for a full week. During this stretch the temperature in our production facility easily reached 120+ in the afternoon once. Everyone was sent home.” Without air conditioning in the plant, the only way to cope with high heat days, says Earnie, is to open all roll-up doors and try to get some cross-breeze through the open doors. “During the hot periods in the summer,” Earnie explains, “we start the production crew at 6 a.m. and they leave by 2 p.m. if at
all possible. We have fans in the ceiling that pull hotter air up in the summer, and fans at either end of the building in the eaves pull the air outside. These ceiling fans reverse in the winter months to try to keep the hotter air from rising above the production floor. They are designed to push the heat that naturally rises back down.” Earnie cautions that they don’t use any floor fans blowing across the poured forms because of the potential for creation of flash hairline cracks. Safety training is also key for Markham Vault. All employees are required to complete training that includes a first-aid course that addresses heat-related problems, how to identify them, and most importantly, how to prevent them. “When the temperatures are high,” says Earnie, “we send our delivery personnel out earlier to complete the set-up process if at all possible. They may have to work in extreme heat at the conclusion of the graveside committal, but that can’t always be avoided. That’s where training and common sense are important.” See Signs of Heat Stress...Page 9
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