CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — With a heat index above 100 degrees in the coastal bend, landscaping workers who spend their days outdoors say managing the heat is part of the job.
Remigio Ayala has been a landscaper for more than 20 years. On days when humidity makes conditions feel even hotter, he says it is just like any other day.
"It feels great to us," Ayala said. "We do this every day, on a yearly basis, so we get used to it."
Ayala and his crew take 15-minute breaks every 2 to 3 hours and use a few tricks to stay cool.
"We wear shirts either over our heads, or we wear like these mask things that we have every day, pretty much that's it, or we wet our wrist to stay cool," Ayala said.
Jason Bryan, branch manager for Maldonado Nursery and Landscaping Inc., says the company watches over workers to ensure they stay hydrated and protected from heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
"We watch the heat index all day long just to make sure that in the afternoon they're taking breaks or drinking water, electrolytes, stuff like that," Bryan said.
Bryan says the company follows the OSHA Heat Safety Tool to make sure they are taking enough precautions with their workers.
"I mean, safety is huge with us. I mean we're all wearing our vet today. we always wear our earplugs and our, our glasses. some of us wear hats. I try to get the guys to wear hats, because it actually helps with their face," Bryan said.
According to OSHA, almost half of heat-related deaths occur on a worker's first day on the job or a worker's first day back after an extended absence.
Workers say the hottest time to be outside is from 3 to 6 p.m.
