SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – The city of Syracuse is in the middle of its hottest week of the year so far, and while many residents can escape the heat indoors, construction workers don’t always have that luxury.
For workers on construction sites around the city, staying cool is a constant challenge as temperatures climb into the 80s and beyond.
“If it’s 90 outside, it’s 110 in that building,” said 20-year construction veteran Derek Gibbs, 42, about a worksite on Comstock Avenue. “There’s no air movement at all.”
Workers across the city said a steady intake of fluids is the best way to combat the heat.
“My main thing is stay hydrated,” said Daivon Grainger. “Drink plenty of water, especially if you’re going to be doing a lot of labor.”
Grainger also said wardrobe choice is key, even if he doesn’t always take his own advice.
“You probably shouldn’t wear black,” he said with a chuckle as he ran his fingers over his black T-shirt. “Wear white or light colors.”
Nationwide, scientists are predicting this summer to be one of the hottest ever recorded. However, Steve Borte, another seasoned construction worker, said everyone knows the heat is not a sufficient excuse for not completing the tasks at hand.
“You do the best you can,” Borte said. “Just drink a lot of water, get in the shade when it’s possible, but the work still has to be done regardless of the weather.”
Some may wonder why crews don’t shift their schedules to cooler nighttime hours. Gibbs said this isn’t an option on jobsites around Syracuse University because of local regulations.
“Syracuse University has a noise ordinance,” Gibbs said. “We can only work from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m.”
Construction workers in Syracuse face a difficult reality. In the summer, you can’t take off layers fast enough, but in the winter, the more layers the merrier.
So, which season is worse?
“Both,” Joe Chapple, 58, said. “It’s either freezing or you’re sweating. One or the other. There’s never a good medium.”
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: The heat isn’t stoppoing work on construction sites around Syracuse
Eddie McCarthy: Eddie McCarthy here for NCC News. I’ve got a 5-minute walk to the newsroom, and I’m sweating in this heat. Can you imagine being out in it all day? Well, if you’re working construction in Syracuse this summer, you don’t have to imagine … because you’re waging a constant battle to stay cool.
Derek Gibbs: If it’s 90 outside, it’s 110 in that building. There’s no air movement at all.
Daivon Grainger: My main thing is stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water, especially if you’re going to be doing a lot of labor.
McCarthy: So that got me thinking. Today’s in the low 80s, and I was feeling it. What’s the worst heat these workers have ever experienced?
Worker 1: I think it was 105 one time. We was taking breaks like every 15-20 minutes.
Joe Chapple: 105. They shut the job down. It was too hot.
Gibbs: I did a copper roof up in Oswego at the college, and it was like taking a piece of aluminum foil and putting it in front of your face for eight hours a day. And this was in August.
McCarthy: So, if you’re working in the heat this summer, drinking water, wearing light colors, all that’s important. But, sometimes, you’ve just got to stay cool the old-fashioned way.