PennDOT Road Crews Deal With The Heat
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Many take comfort of working indoors with the cool blast of the air conditioner during these dog days of summer. However, many others have to cope with working outside in extreme conditions, including those on PennDOT road crews.
Safety is always a priority for PennDOT, especially when the mercury rises near 100 degrees. Gene Blaum, PennDOT spokesman, says road crews get frequent water breaks. They also report to work at 7 a.m. in the summer to avoid some of the heat.
"By starting an hour earlier, our crews can get more work done when temperatures are less oppressive than they are during the late morning and early afternoon hours," Blaum said.
Blaum says foremen plan their days around the weather, especially if there is a lot of heavy lifting planned for a particular project.
"We make sure that's done during the morning hours," Blaum said.
He says paving, for the most part, is done overnight because it takes a while for the road surface to cool even when the hot sun isn't beating down on it.
Reported by Mike Dougherty, KYW Newsradio 1060
