Laborers face grueling conditions in summer heat

LYNN – In a heatwave, nine feet deep in a manhole or standing over steaming tar is not exactly the best place to be.But in Lynn this summer, dozens of construction workers like Tom Donovan must shrug off the heat and do their jobs.”We have no choice right now,” he said.On Friday, as temperatures climbed into the muggy 90’s, Donovan stood over an open manhole on Broad Street, supervising the replacement of manholes and pipes that lead into them as part of upgrades for National Grid.The foreman of New Hampshire-based Midway Utilities was dressed in a heavy fireproof suit, which he said are a safety requirement when they’re working with manholes.View a photo gallery of North Shore residents outside this summer.”It isn’t too bad right now, it’s not that hot, but with this equipment, it’s a lot hotter,” he said, clutching a large Gatorade and tugging his baseball cap tighter on his head.”It’s hot down here!” echoed a voice from the ground beneath Donovan.Steven Fiers climbed a ladder out of the manhole, dripping sweat through his bright-blue fire suit.”Down there, there’s no breeze,” Fiers said. “I’ve been down there all day.”Construction worker Todd Buckley climbed out after him, tossing empty plastic water bottles up before him, joking that Donovan kept all the water to himself above ground.”I lost five pounds down there today,” he said.Buckley and his colleagues agreed that their job is much worse in the summer than in the winter.”In winter, you can jump in the truck and get warmed up,” Buckley said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “This is too much, I can’t stand this.”The crew wrapped up their work by about 3 p.m., and all three workers said they planned to jump straight into their pools when they arrived home.Another set of construction workers further up the street had slightly less to complain about as the buildings above them provided merciful afternoon shade.”This is nothing right now,” said Chris Coughlin of New England Utility Constructions as he lounged on the tailgate of his company’s van. “Next week’s supposed to be in the mid-90’s.”Coughlin and his team were laying pipe under Exchange Street and pouring tar over the work they had just finished.Lynn Police Officer John Dean, who was navigating traffic around the roadblock, said the hottest days he could remember happened about three weeks ago, “when it was 99 degrees,” he said.”It was hot. It was really bad; you couldn’t breathe it was that bad,” he said.Dean said seeking shade and staying hydrated is the only way to survive days like those.”A lot of water, Gatorade, iced coffee,” he said. “You try to stay out of the sun as much as you possibly can.”Coughlin gave similar answers to how he handles the heat.”Take it easy, pace yourself. That’s all you can do,” he said.Amber Parcher can be reached at [email protected].