Work not taking red alert seriously

[Founderflower]

Why are some people not taking the red weather warning seriously? Where I am it’s 39 degrees on Wed/ Thur but ‘feels like’ 42 according to BBC.

At work they’re expecting everyone in - the office is air conditioned, so fine, but we’re central London so everyone needs to schlep in on public transport.

Red means a danger to life and not just for vulnerable people. Some people who are healthy will die because of the weather. There’s warnings of power outages and transport failures. So what happens if we get stuck on a broken down underground train?

I KNOW other countries see these temps regularly. But they are prepared for dealing with it. England is not and it fucks up. I don’t want a heart attack from sitting in 48 degree heat on a train. I’m really stressed out!

If it were a red warning around severe wind or rain or flooding they wouldn’t be telling everyone to come in! So why is heat seen differently?

You do seem over anxious people work and have to in offices or other jobs which don’t have aircon if it’s the tube causing anxiety then plan different method of transport to the office.

OP, I work in a outpatient clinic in central London which has no air-conditioning. Do you think I should take the tube to work or just stay home on Wednesday and Thursday?

i think we all collectively need to get a grip

I’m going to assume that you’re going to work, thank you on behalf of all your patients.

Certainly, last year when receiving chemo on the non air conditioned ward, it was hot. I never once heard the fabulous staff complain or say they were short staffed due to people being off due to the heat.

A different work ethic compared to a lot of people that just don’t want to go in, for heat, snow etc.

I'm a self employed cleaner and I'm absolutely hating working in this weather, but needs must. At least I'm inside. My brother works in Rugby on a construction site and the forecast for Thursday is 40 degrees, but he still has to work. I'm afraid this is probably going to be the norm and we will have to grin and bear it (especially if self employed)

I assume that question was facetious but yes, people who live in hot countries do become more physiologically adapted to heat. That’s how the human body works. It’s why athletes heat train, because the body adapts how it operates to become more efficient when it is exposed to heat longer-term. People who live in hot countries tend to have improved/more efficient sweating, less salt loss during sweating, greater plasma volume, lower heart rate in the heat. Sporadic exposure to heat like we have here doesn’t develop that stuff in the same way.

It was very dry and there was a drought.

We spent a week on the Yorkshire/Cumbria borders, and walked 3 miles to go and look at some supposedly stunning waterfalls.

They were as spectacular as my kitchen tap running, there was so little water in the river in question.

The clue are the words ‘hot countries’. They’re used to it, duh 🙄

Can it easily be swapped for a zoom call? No? In that case it's not comparable.

But PPs life is still as at risk as OPs, why should she risk her life for others, anymore than OP is prepared to do?

Or is PPs life not comparable to OPs?

I think business and government should budget for proper a/c and stop titting about recommending using a fan and drinking more water. We’ve known for years that summers will get hotter and yet schools, hospitals, care homes etc are woefully unprepared for any sort of heatwave no matter how short. It’s pathetic and causes no end of distress to the more vulnerable members of our society.

The Army brought round water bowsers for communities whose water supplies had failed.

And we're sleepwalking into it again.

I live in a hot country. We aren't used to it at all. Working and commuting is tough in hot weather, in my country most workplaces close for the whole of August as it's too hot

when it’s a bit hot

Seems to be the new:
‘Tis a mere flesh wound’

I wonder how many HA tenants have got their gas safety check due this week. Means having the heating switched on

It’s less necessary. One is needed, the other is not. I also imagine medics would rather not be overwhelmed with dehydrated, heat stroke and heart patients who would have been fine if they’d stayed in as advised.

It may be walkable once you get there but my former daily commute was from forty miles outside London. How do you think that would work? 🤷‍♀️

I agree. Imagine if we all decided it was too hot, too cold, too windy, too wet...the country would come to a standstill

Was any of that due to the emergency services etc not working because it was too hot?

Yes Indeed, her office has Aircon , the walk to work does not :)

Have you ever been in the tube in a heatwave?!

Exactly Those posters dont care about NHS workers as much as they like to think they do OR its a lack of critical thinking. Got to be one or the other!!

We hit 40 in the West Midlands in 2022, I remember it well as I was 7 months pregnant!

Not HA but had my British Gas service today - thankfully it was early morning so not too bad but I said to the engineer I really felt for him. He’s going to be doing that job all this week, having to put the heating on in every house he goes to 🥵

Yes indeed, but Spain doesn’t close offices because the travel to work is too hot!!

😃