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The week I welded in 100 degree heat and it almost broke me

Back in 2018 we had this job at a chemical plant outside Baton Rouge, replacing a scrubber section. It was July and the humidity was brutal, like breathing through a wet sock. The steel was so hot you couldn't touch it without gloves, and we were doing overhead welding in a cramped spot near the roof. I remember my helper passing me water every 20 minutes and I still felt like I was gonna pass out by 11 AM. The worst part was the safety harness digging into my shoulders while I tried to keep a steady bead. We pushed through for 5 days straight and finished a day early, but the foreman didn't even buy us a round after. Has anyone else had a job where the conditions were worse than the actual work?

2 comments

2 Comments

ryan_gibson8425d ago

I read a study once that said the human body can only handle about 2 hours of welding in 100 degree heat before your core temp starts climbing dangerously. We had a similar job outside Houston, chemical plant, July, same deal. The safety guy made us take 15 minute breaks every hour, but the foreman kept yelling at us to hurry up. So I just started ignoring him, drank pickle juice for the salt, and lived to weld another day.

murphy.linda26d ago

Man, that story just made me sweat reading it. Foreman didn't even buy a round after a job like that? Sounds like he'd pocket the beer money and call it a bonus. Next time you gotta weld in that kind of heat, just tell him you're making a personal sauna and charge extra.