With the weather outside feeling like 38 degrees celsius outside here in southwestern Ontario, I was wondering what happens to railroaders when the weather turns extreme. Are there shorter shifts, more water breaks etc. when the heat gets turned up and other measures for when it gets really cold? Or is management's attitude more like "Suck it up and keep going!"?
Lone Geep
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We're a tourist line, but it's still real work, and we use vintage equipment. The coaches are air conditioned, but the cab is not - unless you count open windows.
We do runarounds at several points in our day - if I'm working on the ground, I'm good for at least one bottle of water after - sometimes more.
The loco we're running right now for our locals in Thendara is Canadian, so has a fridge (and a microwave). It's usually stocked up with plenty of water.
Short sleeves are pretty much du jour, but shorts are a no-no, so in that respect, we just have to suck it up...
On the other end of the spectrum, our Polar Express trips are sometimes very polar, but people have paid for their tickets, so we run. It can be touchy with things like the toilets, and locos have to be kept warm, so it's a challenge. The people just dress warmer.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
lone geep With the weather outside feeling like 38 degrees celsius outside here in southwestern Ontario, I was wondering what happens to railroaders when the weather turns extreme. Are there shorter shifts, more water breaks etc. when the heat gets turned up and other measures for when it gets really cold? Or is management's attitude more like "Suck it up and keep going!"?
Division supervision on my carrier has supervisors instructed to make sure crews stay hydrated and take breaks when necessary. Some Trainmasters will cart around cold drinks for thier crews and use the breaks as a opportunity for a safety conference.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
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In the Original Post, 38 degrees celsius = 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remember about 5 years ago, zugmann had a little story here about the "The Cooler God" of his locomotive ? (good when they had the cooler already stocked for him, etc.) See this "Trackside Lounge: 3Q 2010" thread, about 2/3 of the way down, his post of Weds., Aug. 18, 2010, at 7:54 AM:
http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/176176.aspx?page=8
- Paul North.
BaltACD lone geep With the weather outside feeling like 38 degrees celsius outside here in southwestern Ontario, I was wondering what happens to railroaders when the weather turns extreme. Are there shorter shifts, more water breaks etc. when the heat gets turned up and other measures for when it gets really cold? Or is management's attitude more like "Suck it up and keep going!"? Division supervision on my carrier has supervisors instructed to make sure crews stay hydrated and take breaks when necessary. Some Trainmasters will cart around cold drinks for thier crews and use the breaks as a opportunity for a safety conference.
This is a no fun time of year and really don't care if it is a "dry heat"...Mr. Sun cooking the Ol ' Noggin is a sure prescription for trouble and water, lots of it ...is the order of the day.
I assume that in Ed's world, the hammock has an ice chest strategically parked nearby? (The survey tribe here is working split shifts here and has 5+ gallons of cold drinking water on the truck in the morning unless there is a solid chance of a T-Storm.)
Thanks for the tips Ed! Right now I'm working on maintenance at a nearby provincial park, so I'm either in an ACed pickup or in the shop half the time so it isn't too bad but I can't really imagine working 12 hours straight in the sun. When I do work outside I always wear a hat and I do make sure to drink plenty of water at regular intervals. Out of curiosity, are most yard locomotives AC equiped nowadays?
Ours are, (MK1500Ds) and have fridges to keep cold cans of water.
edblysardTips we use not getting wiped out by heat... Eat light foods, in small amounts over the course of day, save the greasy steak and bacon for after work, chicken works great, as do fruits, (our carrier provides big baskets of bananas, peaches, oranges and apples every shift) take a good multi vitamin daily, you lose a lot of potassium..stay away from Monster drinks, the sugar and caffeine in them jack your blood pressure up, and add the heat on top of that, the "crash" when it wears off is dangerous. Sodas and any carbonated drink also make for a lot of problems, instead you should drink 16 oz. of water every hour, add in a sport drink a few times to replace electrolytes...do not over hydrate, that is just as dangerous as not drinking enough, pace your intake. Shade on your head and neck are important, your scalp is an excellent heat exchanger/ radiator with all the capillaries in it, if you don't have a hat on, the sun light will heat the scalp, and the blood in it, and increase your body heat quickly. Stay out of the direct sunlight every chance you get, not only is the UV a danger, the heat on your clothes will get you quick, wear light colored clothing, cotton wicks up and absorbs sweat and act like damp rag on your skin, the evaporative effect helps a lot. One of the biggest things drilled into us at safety briefings is to watch your co-workers for any signs of distress...most people who suffer a heat related accident don't realize they are in trouble until it is to late. If one of your co-works comes up and suggest you take a break, listen to them. I plan a cool off break in the course of our work, we will switch 2 or 3 tracks and take a ten minute water break. I do this in the winter months too, the break allows you a mental cool off period also, and re-thinking your work plan can help you find short cuts or dangers you didn't realize were there. Last, off work, eat well and smart, and sleep well...you can burn 25% and more calories working the heat than normal, if you drink alcohol, do so in moderation.
This deserves being put in a separate thread that is made a 'sticky'.
Since there have been a few thunderstorms in my area lately, I was also wondering what happens during a thunderstorm. Is yard activity temporarily halted or is it just switching as usual? Since the freight cars are higher and would get struck first, would that keep a railroader from getting zapped? Out of curiosity, why are shorts a no-no when working? Is is to keep from getting your legs scraped up or for other reasons?
When I started in the early 70s wearing shorts were OK, not many did because of the environment and switching on customers property that didnt allow shorts to be worn, when I went into engine service in the 80s I wore shorts a lot in the warm months even on customers property, I just stayed on the engine.
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