‘Sending drivers out to die’: UPS workers demand heat safety amid record temps – NBC News
A UPS worker claims that his boss told him off for pausing for 47 seconds to sip water, amid a searing heatwave.
Last week, temperatures in New York reached highs of 95 degrees Fahrenheit, making it more difficult for UPS workers to work. Some workers described their struggle to work in the hot weather, and some went to the hospital for treatment.
Driver Matthew Moczygemba, 35, felt dizzy and vomited after delivering packages for several hours on a 103-degree day in Fort Worth, Texas. He was diagnosed with dehydration and heat exhaustion and given several bags of IV fluid.
UPS is the world’s largest package delivery company, and its ubiquitous brown trucks and warehouses are largely without air conditioning. The union representing UPS workers says the company has not been proactive on the topic of heat.
Experts say it’s difficult to know how many workers are injured by heat in a given year, because many heat-related injuries are not fully admitted to hospitals.
UPS workers have reported heat indexes of 126 and temperature readings above 150 degrees in the back of their trucks. The company has installed venting systems and offers fans to drivers on request.
Security footage of a residential home shows a UPS driver that collapsed at a customer’s front door in extreme weather conditions.
For more updates on this story, check out the news outlets listed below.
- ‘Sending drivers out to die’: UPS workers demand heat safety amid record temps NBC News
- UPS worker reprimanded for sipping water amid NY heatwave: report Business Insider
- UPS workers rally for AC in trucks after heatwave The Hill
- Deliver them from heat: What UPS drivers and other victims of extreme heat deserve New York Daily News
- New York UPS workers rally over claims of unsafe conditions in summer heat Fox Business
