Construction workers power their way through oppressive heat wave
SANTA CLARA -- While many people did everything they could do minimize their time out in the heat on Wednesday, some people had no choice but to spend the full day working under the scorching sun.
"You just have to be resilient. You have to keep a strong mindset and tell yourself that you're going to get through it," said Henry Haro, who was working at a road construction site in Santa Clara. "As long as you stay hydrated, you should be fine."
KPIX 5 met Haro at a road construction project near Winchester Boulevard and Stevens Creek Boulevard in Santa Clara.
"We're going through, cutting all the old asphalt out. Next week, we'll come in and lay down new asphalt," he said.
Despite the intense heat in the South Bay on Wednesday, to a degree, Haro felt like he lucked out with his assignment for the day.
"I'm not on the jackhammer, like I was yesterday, that was honestly more challenging being that the tool gets really hot," he said. "Being next to the hot asphalt -- it has to be hot in order to be malleable. Yeah, I'd say it's about 20 degrees hotter. So, at 110 out here, it would be about 130 right next to it. Yeah, it's pretty brutal."
He wore a variety of hats throughout the day, as his co-workers drove massive rigs up and down Winchester all day, braving the heat with every go. Heat could be seen radiating around the equipment.
"This isn't a cakewalk. It takes a certain type of person to do this," Haro said.
But even on the hot day, with tough working conditions, Haro says others have it even harder than he does during this heatwave.
"Honestly, this is easy compared to other trades," he said.
He's glad he's able to help make this stretch of road a better one for everyone.
