LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The first heat wave of the summer has outdoor workers thinking about staying cool while trying to do their job, and there are a lot of ways for outdoor workers to beat the heat. Starting early is one of them.
“We started at 4 a.m.,” said Luke Robinson, a waste collector with Rumpke. “We'll get about an hour and then we all try to help each other out as we finish to get us out of here as soon as possible before the heat hits.”
Rumpke waste collectors like Robinson spend a lot of their day out in the heat. Not all of the trucks are air conditioned, and Robinson shared that most of them have open-air cabins. This week, they’re taking more care to pace themselves.
“If you need to slow down and grab some shade, that's certainly not frowned upon,” Robinson said.
On a hot day like this, it's important for these drivers to keep coolers with them full of drinks like water and Gatorade so they can stay hydrated. Sometimes they are also brought extra supplies throughout the day.
“We also have a supervisor that runs around and, makes sure that we're all good,” Robinson said. “They'll have ice, Gatorade and water on them as well.”
Supervisors aren’t the only ones bringing assistance.
“You can save some of the guys out here [if] they just ran out of water,” Robinson said. “Bring a cold water, a cute kid runs out and gets excited about the trash truck. It'll make your day a lot better.”
From his own experience, Robinson said that kindness goes a long way.
“At a minimum it's an appreciated gesture, but it's saved me at times.”
