that it's important to take work slower and stop
frequently for water breaks," Holinsky says.
Normally the City has a no-idling policy, but when the
weather goes above 100°F (37.8°C), staff may need
to escape to a cool area, like trucks with AC. Holinsky
and colleagues also do training at least twice a year on
things like what to look out for in a colleague that indi-
cates impending heat stress. "We try to empower the
employee to pay attention to their needs and to let their
crew leaders know when they need a break," Holinsky
says. "They know they will be supported." The City of
San Antonio also provides cooling towels; some staff put
them under their hats or helmets when they're on break.
Holinsky points out that the need for accommoda-
tion isn't just about temperature. "If it's 85°F (29.4°C)
and someone's doing an arduous task in the blistering
sun, like working with a chainsaw on a complex tree
removal or hauling large material, you have to be as
careful as someone doing something less arduous
work in 110°F (43.3°C) degrees," he says. "During
heat waves, heavy lifting work gets done here in the
morning, then by the afternoon crews are focused
on less arduous tasks like cleaning vehicles out, orga-
nizing the depot area, cleaning tools, or attending
to requests for smaller fallen branch removal."
To cover up or not? Holinsky says that depends. "We
get both periods of dry heat and wet/humid heat; if it's
dry heat, covering up to protect yourself from the sun
makes sense, but if it's a wet/humid heat, you won't feel
comfortable being covered up. I find that what works
for people depends on the nature of the heat."
Working at night would be cooler but would pose safety challenges. This photo comes from a fabulous
performance piece, The Trees of Govalle, featured in the July/August 2015 issue of City Trees. More than
2000 people attended this event in the Govalle neighborhood of Austin, Texas. Photo by Amitava Sarkar
ucfsociety.org 39
