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Joel Salazar, a 21-year-old mechanic at a GMC dealership in Laredo, described what it's like working as an auto mechanic in extreme heat conditions. In a normal workshift, Joel spends hours diagnosing engine problems, replacing parts, and performing routine maintenance on vehicles. Mechanics like Joel often repair and service cars under intense heat in poorly ventilated buildings. “We feel the heat a little bit more, especially in a closed warehouse where there’s just metal around us,” Joel explains.
During summer, temperatures in the metal warehouse soar, making it feel even hotter than the actual outdoor temperature, affecting not only the working conditions but the tools and equipment as well. Metals exhibit different thermal insulation properties because they have different thermal conductivities that affects their speed to absorb and conduct heat. When high heat absorption tools are subjected to prolonged heat, mechanics using metal tools in hot conditions run the danger of getting burned. This is particularly dangerous in outdoor or poorly ventilated areas since tools become too hot to handle safely without protective gear (Li et al., 2020). Joel and his colleagues have to be in constant vigilance to protect their sensory senses from the heat the metal tools absorb. A small domestic fan, their only source of cooling, offers little relief. “It could be 70°, but since we're in a little warehouse that could reach up to 80°, it feels like it's 90,” Joel adds.
The heat takes a severe toll on workers, especially those with pre-existing conditions. Joel’s coworker, who suffers from asthma, faces significant challenges. “My coworker who has asthma, he struggles with really bad breathing sometimes since it gets really condensed with the heat,” Joel says.
Exposure to chemicals like gasoline and engine oil in a hot environment further exacerbates respiratory issues. Long-term exposure to these volatile organic compounds (VOCs) worsens respiratory conditions, and during high heat, the inhalation of these pollutants intensifies due to increased respiration rates (EPA, 2023; Antonelli et al., 2020).
Despite the harsh conditions, Joel continues to work out of economic necessity. “We need the income; my family struggles,” he admits. The job pays well, helping him support his family, but the long hours and increasing workload are taking a toll on his health.
His work schedule typically consists of 10-hour shifts, and since there is no schedule break, Joel and his coworkers strategically choose their lunch hour during the peak heat to cool off and prepare for the remainder of the day. Although 40 hours per week is the standard, increased workloads during the summer lead to a lot of overtime. “It's a good job for me income-wise, but health-wise, I don't think it's a good job for me to stay here for the next two to three years,” he reflects after only six months on the job.
Joel’s experience reflects a broader issue in Laredo, where summers are getting warmer each year due to impacts from climate change. He hopes for stricter regulations to protect workers exposed to extreme heat. “I have worked in other places; there are not really many regulations … when it comes to workers working outside in the heat,” Joel remarks.
Outside laborers typically bear the brunt of the daily extreme temperatures and include mechanics, landscaping crews, construction workers, hardware store employees, delivery drivers, and fast-food employees who take orders outside, such as Chick-fil-A.
A 2023 news story published by Laredo Morning Times, remarks that hardware store owners and managers had to rethink strategies for their employees as temperatures reached record high numbers that summer, resulting in 15 reported heat-related deaths in Webb County. Some employers provide water, electrolyte popsicles, dry-fit uniforms, encourage multiple breaks, and run fans all day to combat these conditions. Others provide little, if any, cooling remedies for their employees.
According to the U.S. Global Change Research Program, the frequency and intensity of heat waves are expected to increase as climate change worsens (U.S. Global Change Research Program, 2018). Joel observed a harsh reality for outdoor Laredo workers: “The heat isn’t going anywhere... so it's just about preparing yourself for the heat.”
