Video: Hot Days, Hot Nights, And Hot Jobs

GOLDEN TRIANGLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Hot days, hot nights, and hot jobs. We went out with a heat gun today to find out how hot these outside jobs are.

There’s no way to escape the summer heat, and outside workers must get the job done no matter how high the temperatures get.

Hard hats, long sleeve clothing, and big equipment letting off temps as high as 120 degrees.

“The temperatures of the exhaust temperatures coming off the truck, we’re around the trucks all the time, so you know as far as framing poles, and just working on the jobs makes it even hotter,” says Four County lineman, Wyatt Pumphrey.

Just how hot? Our heat gun shows this stretch of road measures 135 degrees.

“You have to know what the temperature of the asphalt is coming out of the truck, and the temperature that is being placed because it has a big effect on the density of the asphalt,” says APAC Quality Control Technician, Randy McGee.

Road temps get so hot that our heat gun couldn’t read just how hot in some spots, but road workers must keep rolling.

“You get the better job just continuously paving at a slow and smooth, steady pace all day long, so it’s hard to take breaks when you’re in an operation like that,” says McGee.

There’s no shade for Four County linemen working above the trees with temps reaching 115, causing them to take extra measures.

“We might pace our self just a little more, but just staying safe and hydrated will be the main thing we do,” says Pumphrey.

McGee says work days are long and hot, and pacing yourself is key.

“It’s important to hydrate before you get out in it. Once you get out in it, it’s hard to catch back up, so the main thing is just drink water early, and already be hydrated before you get out in it all day.”