“'Cold Jobs' in Central Illinois” |
| 'Cold Jobs' in Central Illinois Posted: 13 Dec 2010 05:00 PM PST December 13, 2010 Taking each day one step at a time may be all you can do, when you work outdoors. And in the Midwest, there's nothing like waking up to temperatures below zero. "You wish you had the day off (laughs)." For U.S. Postal Carrier Paula Gladfelter, six hours in the snow is all part of the job. "There were times that my hands would get cold, my feet would be cold," said Gladfelter. "There was nothing you could do than just wait 'til you got in, but I've learned through 24 years the right gear to take with me and how to dress properly." Bundled in thermal boots and winter work gloves, Gladfelter marches along her route in Central Peoria. She isn't the only one who's learned to get her hands-- and feet-- in the right apparel. "Feet and hands are the two things we worry about," said Pat Langan, Illinois American Water Operation Supervisor. "We're providing the boots, of course, and for their hands, we have special gloves that will keep them fairly dry." Maintenance crews from Illinois American Water may have to work up to 8 hours each day, so when it gets cold, they have to dig deep to stay warm. "We tell them the trucks were built with the heaters in them, to stay inside, you know, when they get cold to get inside and warm up," said Langan. The Operation Supervisor says if it gets to be critical, they will bring in a second crew, but the weather brings yet another danger for these workers... "Traffic is a big thing. In this kind of weather, with ice and snow on the ground, people need to take it easy and slow it down," said Langan. He says there have been only a few accidents, but even if your job doesn't require battling the windchill, with more winter weather underway, safety may be as simple as dressing the part. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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