COBB COUNTY, Ga. — As temperatures climb across metro Atlanta, Cobb County Department of Transportation crews are taking extra precautions to stay safe while working outdoors.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
“The number one thing we look at is the heat index,” said Cobb County DOT Dep. Director J.D. Lorens.
From mowing roadsides to repairing potholes, crews spend long hours outside in the summer heat. To help prevent heat-related illnesses, every DOT truck is equipped with air conditioning, a cooler, and other weather-safety supplies.
“We have two very large ice bins here that they can fill up their coolers from,” Lorens said.
The county also provides water, electrolyte packets, cooling towels, hats, sunscreen, and bug spray to help workers stay hydrated and protected from the sun. Some employees also choose to wear long-sleeve uniforms to shield their skin from direct sunlight.
“We have sunscreens that we use in different ways, either on their head or their neck, to keep the sun off of them,” Lorens said.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Man dies months after he was severely beaten
- Home Depot customer service manager admits to stealing from Georgia store through fake returns
- Former Falcons player’s brother charged with murder after mother found dead at Atlanta townhome
Lorens says asphalt crews face some of the toughest conditions because they’re not only working in the sun but also handling asphalt heated to between 300 and 400 degrees.
“They’re not only dealing with the sun, but they have this hot asphalt that they are having to put into the potholes and fill them,” he said.
The department closely monitors the heat index throughout the day. If temperatures rise above 100 degrees, officials may postpone non-safety-related projects until cooler morning hours.
“While it might be 95 degrees, if the heat index goes above 100 degrees, we will look at taking some of the projects and perhaps delaying them if they are not safety-related to maybe the morning hours,” Lorens said.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
On days when the risk of heat-related illness is especially high, crews may be pulled off the roads altogether.
“If it’s an extremely hot day where we know there’s a high propensity for having a heat-related illness, we may even bring them back here to the yard and just do cleanup, vehicle maintenance, equipment maintenance and things like that to get them out of that heat,” Lorens said.
County leaders say their goal is to keep crews safe while continuing to provide essential services throughout the summer.