DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Excessive heat watches and warnings have been issued around the Miami Valley for Thursday. Heat indices are expected to make it into the triple digits.
Community leaders have been busy implementing plans to keep outdoor workers safe in the heat.
A heat dome continues to bake the middle of the country, and we will feel those impacts Thursday. With temperatures in the upper 90s Thursday and humid conditions, the body will lose liquid at a quicker rate.
State and local officials have been watching and preparing for the extreme heat, and for the Ohio Department of Transportation, they have been stressing to their workers the importance of communicating with supervisors how they are feeling.
Mandi Dillon, ODOT Public Information Officer SW Ohio, said, “When they do feel like they’re getting overheated, we rely on them to do a lot of self-monitoring, keep themselves hydrated, and then, of course, take breaks as needed.”
Workers will still be out working their normal hours. For the city of Centerville, the heat may delay some of their work.
Pat Turnbull, City of Centerville Public Works Director, said, “At the end of the day, we’re doing the same work that we always do, right? We’re providing that public service. We might just be doing it a little slower and paying attention to how everybody is feeling as they’re doing that really heavy, heavy lifting, the hard work, the manual labor right?”
During the peak heat of the day, the city of Miamisburg will be using the buddy system to give workers a break.
Valerie Griffin, City of Miamisburg Public Works Director, said, “If it’s digging or shoveling asphalt or something like that for an hour and then while someone else is in the truck and the air conditioning, like hauling off material, and then those two will switch so that one person isn’t out in the heat all day.”
It is always wise to keep sunscreen on hand. With a UV index of 9 today and tomorrow, a person can burn in as little as 15 minutes.
