ONTARIO, Calif. — It’s another day, and it’s another project that Anthony Mendez embarks on the streets of Ontario. It’s also midday and temperature readings are already north of 90 degrees.
“We are dealing with gas lines, we are dealing with water lines that are high pressured,” said Mendez. “We've got to be very careful.”
Mendez knows his job well; he’s been doing it for four years and safety is on his mind every day. As the mercury rises, it adds another safety concern he must keep in mind.
“One has to make sure that you’re just listening to your body,” said Mendez. “Listen to it and you can see, oh, I’m cramping up. Maybe I need to take a break.”
As a changing climate forces workers to brave the heat while making a living, Mendez knows that these are the days when preparation is key.
“I usually drink lots amount of water before going out the door,” said Mendez.
As San Bernardino braces for 10 consecutive days over 100 degrees following an already hot July, workers and health experts warned that without regular access to rest, water and shade workers are put in unnecessary danger during excessive heat.
Cynthia Ayala works at the Amazon Air Hub in San Bernardino, moving heavy machinery and loading cargo planes.
“The only time we get to find cover for shade is under the plane,” said Ayala. “Other than that, like when it’s go time, it’s work time. We must be consistently in the sun.”
Ayala organizes and educates workers at the air hub alongside the warehouse workers resource center to promote self-advocacy.
People who labor in physical jobs, both inside and outside, are most susceptible to heat illness, which can include dehydration, dizziness, fainting and even death, and as the climate warms, these dangers are more acute.
“It starts getting hot around 11, 12, noon,” said Ayala. “You can see the energy level just drop when people are out there.”
Workers at the Amazon air hub in San Bernardino last year took their own thermometers to work and documented extremely high temperatures at the warehouse and grave inconsistencies with Amazon’s own temperature monitors.
“Last summer I had heat exhaustion when I was driving my heavy machinery,” said Ayala. “I only had enough time to make it to my parking station and for my coworker to quickly pass me some electrolytes.”
Amazon says that they encourage workers to take preventive cool down breaks as needed, but more so are encouraging speaking up when temperature related issues arise at the workplace.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health announced this week that they will perform spot checks at work sites to make sure the rules are being followed.
“We have to make sure that we’re constantly giving each other water,” said Ayala. “Telling each other to slow down and take a break.”
As the sun scorches, workers like Mendez and Ayala are left without a choice but to brave the elements and count on each other to remain safe.
“We try to take care of each other, especially me and my partner,” said Mendez. “Always looking out for each other, taking turns, making sure we take a lot of water breaks.”