On the morning of May 24, Mr. Pham Van Nam - a construction worker working in Chuong My ward (Hanoi) started his working day from 5 am.
Mr. Nam said that he will work about 2 hours outdoors, when the sun is not too harsh. From 7 am, Mr. Nam moves in to do housework or roofed areas.
“With more than 10 years of experience as a construction worker, I have applied this method. Working directly under the sun on days at 38-40 degrees Celsius, the body quickly loses water, gets a heatstroke, even becomes exhausted and faints. All response methods such as thick sun protection clothes, scarves covering the face, wide-brimmed hats... are also insignificant,” Mr. Nam said.
Also according to Mr. Nam, around 9 am, he will rest, eat lightly and take advantage of early afternoon naps. In the afternoon, he works at 2:30 pm with shady jobs. From 4 pm, he goes out to work and usually finishes work at 7 pm.
To avoid losing strength, Mr. Nam supplements water regularly, snacks in the morning and at noon. Another experience shared by Mr. Nam, for workers with a lot of sweat, they should not wear clothes soaked in sweat to work for a long time in the sun or in hot conditions, because it is very easy to get cold and catch a cold.
I always bring at least 2 shirts to the construction site, when the back of the shirt is wet, I will change to another shirt, briefly wash the dirty shirt and then dry it in the sun. Just like that, I won't wear a shirt that is soaked, won't be soaked in water leading to a cold," Mr. Nam said.
Sharing the same view of not "exposing" himself to the hot sun like Mr. Nam, Mr. Phung Van Ha - a lifting driver at construction sites also starts his working day from early morning.
Mr. Ha said that the roof of the lift truck is very small, around 8 am, the sun almost completely "exposes" his body to the sun. To ensure health, he starts working from when he clearly sees people's faces and finishes before 9:30 am. In the afternoon, Mr. Ha starts working from 3:30 pm.
These days, to avoid the scorching heat, Mr. Ha adds a thick felt blanket, dripping water, covering the canopy to reduce the heat.
Drinking plenty of water, wearing thick protective clothing, and resting immediately when I feel tired are the principles I must strictly follow on hot sunny days," Mr. Ha said.
For many freelancers, hot weather not only makes work more difficult but also increases living costs such as drinking water, buying sunscreen... while income does not increase correspondingly.
Mr. Dang Duc Tung - a worker at a construction site in Phuong Liet ward (Hanoi) said that in addition to equipping himself with air conditioning shirts with cool fans, every day when the sun is intensely hot, he and his colleagues have to share money to buy refreshments to "hold on" to the harshness of the weather.
“It's scorching hot, we almost don't want to eat, if we eat, it's just light drinks. The most expensive is refreshment money. Lemon juice, sugarcane juice, iced tea... Each day, it costs an average of about 50,000 VND to hold on, cope with harsh weather. It is forecast that the heat will last until the end of this week, everyone is bored,” Mr. Tung said wearily.
Mr. Tung added that at the construction site where he works, the foreman gives workers alternating leave, every 2 working hours they take a 15-minute break to "recover". "If we don't get a break, I think no one can stand it because we lose strength very quickly," Mr. Tung said.
