‘Your body fights to stay cool’: workers toil in record heat as federal rule frozen

Trump officials and Republicans are rolling back protections against heat-related illnesses and deaths

When it’s 90F on a hot summer day, Esther Minton wears a long-sleeved shirt to work.

“Working outside, you don’t have cover. There’s nowhere for you to really go if you’re on a roof or if you’re on the side of a building,” said Minton, a member of the Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 28 in New York City. “Having the sun beaming on your skin all day long, you’ll never make it through, so what you wear makes a difference.”

Working outside during the brutal summer months means learning how to stay properly hydrated, dealing with port-a-potties that get much hotter than outside temperatures and handling heated copper metals exposed to direct sunlight.

“Before the day is over, by the time you’re at break at lunchtime – say 12pm, when the sun is really out and doing its thing – you are drained,” Minton said. “Your body fights hardcore to stay cool, your body fights hard to not be dehydrated.”