Heat-exposed workers suffer as Germany braces for record temperatures
World
Germany prepares for temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius in parts of the country on Wednesday
COLOGNE (Reuters) – Germany’s construction workers, roofers, and street vendors grappled with soaring temperatures on Tuesday, with many taking extra precautions to stay hydrated and safe as the mercury hit 37 degrees Celsius (98 degrees Fahrenheit).
Civil engineer Charikleia Kagiaoglou, working at a fiber-optic cable site in Cologne, described the challenging conditions. "The heat is for the first time that big. We try as much as we can to stay safe, firstly for ourselves and after for our work. We drink a lot of water, we do much breaks, and we try to feel comfortable at our work," Kagiaoglou said.
Deniz Eken, a construction worker originally from Kurdistan, noted the impact on productivity. "Normally we do 100 meters, but at this time we can do 60, 50. It's a little bit of a problem, but we must do it because we are hard guys," Eken said, adding he consumes up to six liters of water a day to endure the conditions.
In Koenigswinter, roofers laying tar paper on rooftops also faced the heat, relying on breaks and buckets of water to cope.
In Berlin, currywurst seller Liliana Kwiatkowska said her team would adjust operations to manage the heat by drinking water taking more breaks and going to the cold storage.
Germany prepares for temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of the country on Wednesday.
