The landscapers at Point Loma Nazarene University can be seen by any student, staff, faculty member or pedestrian walking down Caf Lane during the morning to afternoon of any weekday. These workers, who are both full-time and part-time student workers, help maintain the different greenery, lawns and landscapes across campus. With San Diego hitting over 100 degrees fahrenheit in the month of October, landscapers at PLNU had to find ways to continue their work while facing the risk of any illness from the heat.
Will McKinney, the grounds manager at PLNU, is responsible for maintaining the landscaping on campus, as well as the crew assisting him in these duties. McKinney said that “heat illness awareness” is included in the safety policy for all maintenance workers.
“We always discuss what the weather is going to be, what kind of conditions we’re expecting,” McKinney said. “We also talk about how someone should handle themselves in hot weather, and particularly hot and humid weather, like we’ve had most of this summer. We talk about heat exhaustion, which can be very serious but not life-threatening, and heat stroke, which is life-threatening, and we discuss the different ways to identify when someone is beginning to experience heat illness [and] what they can do to prevent [it].”
McKinney said that workers have a training class on the second Friday of every month, which includes conversations about working safely in hot weather and how to avoid any type of heat-related illness.
“That’s handled by an outside vendor,” McKinney said. “And then when we’re watching the forecast, [and] we see that we’re going to have a few days of hot weather, we bring it back up again. They’re aware that even when they’re not experiencing heat illness, they may be working with someone who’s experiencing heat illness, and the early signs of heat illness can be very subtle.”
Workers are encouraged to wear hats, long sleeved shirts and long pants for sun protection. Some workers are still able to choose to wear short sleeved shirts or shorts depending on the task. McKinney emphasized that staying hydrated is the number one heat-illness prevention tactic for those working outside.
“One of the things we encourage is to drink even when you’re not thirsty,” McKinney said. “Fortunately at PLNU, we have water dispensers everywhere, and it’s cool water and it’s fresh water. So there’s no reason not to take advantage of that.”
Cortlynn Sieverts, a third-year elementary education major, is part of the grounds crew at PLNU. Her daily tasks include taking care of the landscapes around campus, and she has learned to adapt to the high temperatures during the middle of the day.
“I have been avoiding the heat by having a good rest and hydrating the night before,” Sieverts said. “Wearing a hat, sunscreen and protective clothing are for sure pivotal.”
Sieverts also said that outside of work, an ocean dip and surf is the best way to “stay rooted and rejuvenated” from the heat wave.
On Sept. 11, @plnuwellness on Instagram posted an advisory titled “Heat and your health,” which lists out what students should do if they don’t have air conditioning in their dorms or off-campus houses, as well as what they can do throughout the day to stay cool and hydrated. They posted the symptoms of heat-illness, which includes muscle cramping, unusually heavy sweating and nausea. They encourage students to seek medical care immediately if they have heat-related illnesses, and that the wellness center has hydration and ice packs for students when needed.
Even though the heat wave has subsided, extreme storms are still expected to hit San Diego throughout the rest of the fall and winter seasons. PLNU is preparing for these conditions, and Jeff Bolster sent out an email to students informing them of the weather. The email explained that facilities, public safety, ITS and residential life are working together to prepare for the expected storms.
True Van Dyke