The 5 most dangerous jobs to have in a NJ heat wave (Opinion)

Anyway you slice it, and the humidity makes the air feel like you could, it’s brutal. But of all the horrible jobs to have when a heat wave like this comes along, which are downright dangerous?

OSHA is starting to pay more attention to heat-related illnesses and deaths on the job with the warming of the planet. Jobs they mention that are common for workers to suffer heat-related illness are both outdoors and indoors.

Outdoor things like landscaping and mail delivery made the list. Indoor jobs like bakeries, kitchens, boiler rooms and laundries have more than their share of heat-related illness.

But the most dangerous and potentially deadly jobs in a heat wave according to OSHA are…

This tops the list for non-lethal heat-related injuries. Think about it. Blazing sun, direct exposure with no shade, physically demanding work and add buckets of hot tar to the mix.

Think of those guys working at Newark Liberty International Airport. Think of how hot that tarmac is. It’s the job with the second-highest heat-related injuries/illnesses according to OSHA.

The heating of metals is bad enough. Try it when it’s 100 degrees outside. It’s the third-worst job for heat danger and that danger includes fatalities from heat every year.

That heavy equipment throws off a lot of heat. So does paving materials, traffic, and what you need to wear on this job doesn’t help. The heat danger is enormous.

Like farming isn’t tough enough on a nice day. When a heat wave hits it’s dangerous and sometimes deadly. It makes the top 5 of most dangerous jobs in heat, according to OSHA.

There are too many horrible-in-heat-and-humidity jobs to mention here. I also feel for anyone who’s working in attics. Working in warehouses without air conditioning. Working around hot machinery in factories. Jobs you don’t even think much about, like crematorium workers, or those poor souls that are inside mascot costumes.

Whatever you’re doing for a living in this heat wave, pace yourself, remember water is your best friend, and keep thinking about Labor Day.