Man, it's hot
21 Jul, 2011 By: Beth Geraci, Questex Media Group LLC LM Direct!We spend all winter craving hot weather. We escape to Florida, to Arizona, anywhere that gives us a respite from the cold whipping wind and driving snow. We wish it were 90 degrees and sunny. But when the sizzling temps finally arrive — and they now scorch half the country — we complain and long for something cooler.
It's easy to say, "It's hot. So what? Get your fill of warmth while the getting's good." But then you hear stories like that of the 70-year-old Blackwell, OK, man. The one who died on July 18 from mowing his lawn in the heat. And of the 65-year-old Wichita, KS, man who died the same day, in the same way.
And it hits home.
According to the New York Daily News, the core body temperatures of the Blackwell and Wichita men were 108 degrees and 107 degrees, respectively. And as of July 21, the National Weather Service reports that 22 people across the country have died from heat-related causes.
Question is, as landscape managers and crew, where do you draw the line? When do you say, "It's time to go home" or "It's time for a break" or "It's too hot to work today"? Or do you at all? We're all driven by the desire and the need to earn our keep. We all need to make a living.
But stories like those of the two men mowing their yards serve as reminders to us all that too much heat can actually be dangerous. So as you're out there mowing, supervising and everything in-between, remember to be careful, wise and good to yourselves.
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