Protecting our employees is our No. 1 priority. On any given day, SAWS has about 850 workers in the field cleaning sewer lines, repairing pipes, reading meters and digging trenches — all in the sweltering heat and around scorching asphalt.
That’s why the utility is doing everything possible to keep our field crews safe, including providing fruit and beverages high in electrolytes, having two crews onsite to alternate the workload and giving mandatory 15-minute breaks every hour.
But it’s the mobile HVAC systems that are the real game-changers.
“These units provide air conditioning directly to the jobsite,” says Carlos Mendoza, vice president-Distribution and Collection. “At sites where work is expected to last several hours, it’s well-received by our maintenance crew.”
Considering there have been zero heatrelated incidents this summer compared to four last year, the units have been worth the expense of renting them.
“We aim to do as much as possible to keep our employees safe, and we’re always looking for ways to do even better,” Mendoza said.