PHOENIX — We all feel the triple-digit heat, but it can have serious consequences for those who spend hours working in it, like delivery drivers.
This viral video of a Scottsdale UPS driver collapsing from the heat shows how dangerous the job can be. For one Phoenix woman, it was too hard to watch.
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"Just seeing his hands cramp up trying to ring the doorbell, then watching my husband in the hospital with his hands and feet cramping up," she said emotionally.
Her husband, also a UPS driver, faced a similar situation in May after working for hours in intense heat.
"He started throwing up, and he messaged into them he was throwing up, and they did not respond to him," she said.
She initially didn't want to speak out for fear her husband would be fired. But after seeing what happened in Scottsdale and again near Los Angeles, enough was enough, and she's now calling on UPS to change.
"Unfortunately, in California, there was a 24-year-old driver who passed out in the cargo and died," she said. "They're out there all day, typically working 12 hours. They can stop harassing these drivers; they can hire more drivers. This company makes money, and these drivers are well paid, but it should not be at the cost of their livelihood. Families shouldn't worry if they're going to come home or not."
Teamsters, the union for UPS drivers, is demanding action. It posted steps it feels the company should take on its Facebook page to protect drivers.
"You know a lot of these drivers they do the work to provide for families, but they shouldn't have to go through this," the Phoenix woman said.
And while she knows change won't happen overnight, she is begging something be done, so situations like this don't happen again.
12News reached out to UPS, who sent us the following statement:
"The health and safety of our employees is our top priority. We never want our employees to continue working to the point that they risk their health or work in an unsafe manner. If an employee ever feels ill for any reason, they are instructed to stop what they are doing and notify their delivery center management. If they need assistance, local UPS personnel will respond by coming to their location to help them return to their delivery center or arrange immediate medical assistance at their location. We also offer our employees multiple ways to share their concerns with us without fear of retaliation, and we promptly address issues when they are brought to our attention. An example is our Comprehensive Health and Safety Process (CHSP), a collaboration between UPS’s hourly employees and management that meets regularly throughout our operation to discuss health and safety.
UPS drivers are trained to work outdoors and for the effects of hot weather. Drivers do not spend prolonged periods of time inside the truck, as they are making a stop on average every 2-3 minutes. With each stop, the engine is shut off and the doors are secured. The A/C system would be shut off with each stop.
We have a dedicated team of more than 600 health and safety professionals who review work practices and ensure health awareness. We believe that preparation, rest, hydration and maintaining good health practices are key to working outdoors. Our “Cool Solutions” program was developed with both Federal and State OSHA personnel and focuses on educating employees about hydration, along with nutrition and proper sleep before working in hotter temperatures. We have morning meetings with drivers all year round, reminding them of forecast temperatures and encouraging them to be aware of their own health conditions. In the summer, in addition to providing water and ice for employees, we provide regular heat illness and injury prevention training to all operations managers and drivers."
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