In recent days, Hanoi has recorded hot weather, with the highest daily temperature commonly 36-38 degrees Celsius. In the midst of intense heat, many freelancers still have to struggle to make a living in the sun, facing the risk of dehydration and exhaustion.
At a scrap collection point, in the midday sun, workers are still busy loading scrap iron onto trucks. Each basin of scrap iron weighing about more than 20kg is continuously carried and put on their heads and then transferred to trucks. The total weight of scrap iron to be loaded onto trucks is up to tens of tons.
Sweat soaking his shirt, his face red from the heat, Mr. Nguyen Van Khai, 53 years old in Hanoi, is still diligently loading and unloading each basin of scrap iron.
Mr. Khai said that after rainy days, the weather turns to harsh sunshine, making outdoor work more strenuous. "Working these days feels dizzy, sweaty, and tired. We also have to take breaks, drink plenty of water to limit dehydration and heat shock," Mr. Khai said.
Not only loaders and unloaders, workers at construction sites also have to find ways to adapt to harsh weather.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Tinh (Son La) has been working in Hanoi at a bridge and culvert construction site for many months now. On hot sunny days, she has to adjust her working hours, starting from 6 am, about 1.5 hours earlier than usual to take advantage of early lunch breaks, avoiding the harshest sunny hours.
Working outside the construction site, sometimes tying iron, sometimes shoveling soil. The weather is sunny and very tiring. The day before, I worked until 11 am and then started having headaches and nausea, so I had to rest," Ms. Tinh said.
According to Dr. Nguyen Minh Tuan, Head of the Department of Nephrology, Urology and Hemodialysis, E Hospital, recently the hospital provided emergency care for a patient working as a worker at a construction site with signs of acute kidney damage due to dehydration and myalysis.
When the body has to work at high intensity in a high-temperature environment, the amount of water and electrolytes lost through sweat is very large. If not supplemented in time, the body will fall into a state of dehydration and electrolyte disorders. Along with that, overexertion can damage muscle cells, causing streptomyalysis. Products from the muscle destruction process are released into the blood and the kidneys have to work overloaded to excrete, thereby increasing the risk of acute kidney damage," Dr. Tuan explained.
To limit the risk, outdoor workers need to proactively replenish water, rest in cool places and stop working when abnormal signs appear. Do not try to work when the body has shown signs of exhaustion, because hot weather can quickly make dehydration serious.
