How to adapt our activities to extreme heat?

Mar Mampel is always behind achieving a good SEO positioning of the writings of our Community Manager. Today she writes points two and three. From Finques Feliu we thank her very much.

1. Introduction: the devilish dance of abnormal phenomena and extreme temperatures

At the end of June 2021, an atmospheric episode called "heat dome" affected the federal state of British Columbia in Canada and the states of Washington and Oregon in the States. What happened during this episode?

An area of high pressure settled over the affected region. It trapped all the heat from the atmosphere and kept it concentrated in the region. It is as if a pot - the region - was covered - by the high pressures. The result is that temperatures are extreme for days where it occurs.

The map, from BBC, that illustrates the text is very disturbing: note that there is a very dark color above Lytton where there is the maximum temperature. The latitude concerned corresponds to a continental climate. In Vancouver the maximum temperature in June is 19.6 degrees Celsius during the day. Thirty degrees less than the maximum on the map!

The temperatures recorded during the "heat dome" studied fit with a climate that is not continental. Guess which one?..... The Desert. It corresponds to Dubai, 11,724 kilometers southeast of Vancouver! Expert meteorologists wrote to the Washington Post, "Statistically speaking (the phenomenon described) is so abnormal that it would have to happen once every several thousand years."  

In June 2020 in Siberia, a polar climate region, a maximum in Verhoyansk of 38 degrees was recorded. In the Russian city the maximum temperature in June is 20 degrees Celsius. It requires tenacity to deny the acceleration of statistically very rare phenomena.       

2. Tips against high summer temperatures

Having read the first point, there are two tempting attitudes: paralyzing terror or denying the seriousness of these episodes.

In this second point, the authors give guidelines against heat.

Too often, we are only aware of the sun when we are expressly sunbathing on the beach. This is a big mistake! There are at least three other places where we are very exposed to the sun: 

a) When walking in the mountains:

- Put on sunscreen

- Wear a hat,

- Sunglasses, 

- Drink almost 1 liter per hour

- Carry a thermal blanket. This item serves to protect someone injured in the sun. Villegas details: it weighs 80 grams and costs 2 €. 

- Wear technical clothing

This is explained by Joaquín Villegas, "a mountain enthusiast", 

b) In the garden as explained in this link 

c) In work environments such as the construction site.

Today we deal with the third heading 

These are the recommendations given by the Department of Enterprise and Knowledge against high temperatures:

People are responsible for:

Getting frequent hydration:

 

• Drink often (every 15-20 minutes) fresh -not cold- water
• Do not wait until you are thirsty to drink
• Drink before, during and immediately after work with exposure to heat

Choose light foods such as salads, fruits or juices:

• Avoid alcoholic, caffeinated or very sugary drinks because they promote dehydration

 

• Avoid heavy and high-calorie meals.
   
• Try to go to work without exhaustion (heat increases the physical demands of work and the resulting energy expenditure).
   
• Fresh food: salads, juices and pieces of fruit.
   
• Choose light and comfortable clothing:

 

• Do not take off your clothes and cover your head.
   
• Wear loose-fitting, light and fresh clothing.
   
• Try to cover as much of the body as possible. Where this is not possible, use sun protection creams.
• Use hats or caps made of breathable fabric whenever possible.

The company is responsible for:

Facilitate frequent breaks to cool places

Increase the frequency of recovery breaks, making short stops every hour.

Providing air-conditioned rest areas or in cool, shaded areas.

• Organize shifts to reduce the time or intensity of exposure whenever possible.
• Plan the heaviest tasks for the hours of less heat -before 11 am and after 4 pm-.
• Avoid isolated work and make water available to workers.

It is worth remembering that home owners' associations are also a workspace. Therefore, they are legally obliged to train their workers in occupational hazards.

4.  A world with extreme temperatures will suffer more and more dreadful fires.  

When we talk about high temperatures we must talk about how to prevent fires. As heat affects us much more outdoors we focus on: our relationship with the environment and the execution of new construction or rehabilitation. 

 There are five factors whose interaction is basic for the appearance of flames:  

- Temperatures above 30 degrees (let alone those of a "heat dome").

- Wind speed 

- The topography of the land where rehabilitation or new construction is being carried out.

- The percentage of humidity in the air

 - Flammable substances

- Lack of forest management and forest clearing (64% of the Catalan territory is forested).

Outdoors it is very practical to learn the "rule of 30":

Temperatures above 30 degrees, wind in the order of 30 km/hour and relative humidity below 30% are equivalent to an exponential risk of fire.

On the Internet you can find a report from Confidencial entitled: "Big fires and a falling myth: the 'rule of 30' is fulfilled in 1 out of every 3 cases" (in Spanish). Contrary to what the headline suggests, it does not deny the rule of 30, but only questions it as the only explanatory factor for the occurrence of fire. We agree, to explain fire, other factors must be added:

 -Human intentionality 

- Human carelessness (badly extinguished cigarette butts, a spark from a blowtorch, or the burning of stubble when it is not the right time). 

- Terrain conditions

From Feliu we add another factor: the use of flammable substances.

To prevent fires on the construction site, the following recommendations should be followed:

- Respect the smoking ban

- Keep fire extinguishers nearby at all times

- Wear flame retardant clothing during construction in accordance with the relevant regulations

- Be clear about which flammable substances are used (disinfectants, release agents, polyurethanes, resins, paints, etc.), how to handle them and how to store them (never exposed to the sun, with free height, without contact with combustibles).

- Use sparking torches, drills, etc. with care.

- Be clear about the evacuation route (and think of several, since a priori we do not know the direction of the fire).

- Do not fence off evacuation routes with anti-theft devices.

There is a lot to be gained from this topic. However, we prioritize to provide you with very manageable information.

Share this text: the first thing is to preserve life and health.