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Watkins stresses heat safety as campus adjusts to record-setting temperatures
JOEY REED
@joeyreedKU
This summer, heat advisories and warnings have been the norm at the University. And for good reason: according to the National Weather Service, June had days with record-breaking heat, and was the sixth-hottest on record, when looking at average temperature.
Dr. Greg Hamel, a physician at Watkins Health Center, said when dealing with the heat it is more about being proactive instead of reactive.
"Basically when it is hot, we need to take precautions, you need to be well
hydrated."
The effects of dehydration are not just physical, but also psychological, Dr. Hamel said. One of the biggest issues when people become dehydrated is how they perceive the problem.
"When you're dehydrated it affects your judgment and your actual perception of the symptoms," he said.
Dr. Hamel also said that heat prevention strategies should be personal, as heat affects different people in different ways. Some people may be more susceptible to heat than others.
"Anybody who has an illness of any kind, people who are on certain stimulant medications such as
Adderall or Vyvanse, which limit your ability to evaporate heat [...] they need to be extra careful," he said.
Dr. Hamel also said there are risks associated with drinking and extended sun exposure.
"People really need to be careful with alcohol, they need to be taking breaks from the direct sun exposure and getting in the cool and shade periodically."
In Lawrence, the heat isn't the only summer certainty. Construction is a guarantee, as the city tries to prepare for the next school year. But when the two combine, progress can be delayed.
"It has an effect on the
health of our workers, and we need to make sure they are taking regular breaks," Barry Walthall, a building codes administrator, said. "We've been starting to get them to start earlier in the morning to try and limit the time in the heat."
But there are other factors beyond worker health, Walthall said, including the materials used.
"When you're working with concrete in this heat it can lead to some delays," Walthall said.
*Alex Robinson/KANSAN>*
The construction of Earth,
Energy and Environment
Center in the summer heat.