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Deep freeze takes toll on outside workers

Scraping a car’s windshield and waiting seemingly forever for the interior to warm up during the morning drive can be annoying especially during the prolonged cold snap which has enveloped Alberta this winter.
Harold Clark mans a pump on a frigid Monday morning at Hilltop Shell in Okotoks. The gas station attendant says the sustained bitterly cold weather locally has been a
Harold Clark mans a pump on a frigid Monday morning at Hilltop Shell in Okotoks. The gas station attendant says the sustained bitterly cold weather locally has been a “grin and bear it” proposition.

Scraping a car’s windshield and waiting seemingly forever for the interior to warm up during the morning drive can be annoying especially during the prolonged cold snap which has enveloped Alberta this winter.

However, it is more likely to take a lasting toll on one’s morale if their occupation means they have to work outside through these bitterly cold days.

Gas station attendant Harold Clark can be seen many a chilly day providing full service to customers at Hilltop Shell in Okotoks. He said he doesn’t let temps south of minus 25 get him down.

“You just got to grin and bear it,” he said. “I have always felt if you don’t like your job don’t be in it. I’ve done this for so long I see bad weather like we’ve had as just an everyday thing.”

Clark, who logically bundles up well for the frostiest days of hurrying to and from customers’ vehicles, sees a good pair of gloves as one of the prime gas pumping accessories. He said it doesn’t take long for someone to learn the folly of putting a bare hand on a cold metal gas nozzle.

“You only do it once then you smarten up,” he said.

Clark said business definitely picks up at his station on days when the mercury dips bone chillingly low on the thermometre. He said in the neighbourhood of 25 to 30 per cent more vehicles will stop by on a cold day as opposed to a mild winter day as people try to avoid the necessity of getting out and pumping their own gas.

He also said the frigid day customer is more likely to request additional things be done to their vehicle.

“They’ll say check my windshield, washer fluid, my oil, the pressure on my tires; a whole list of things sometimes,” he said.

Clark said many people do express their appreciation for his being out in the elements taking care of their car. Some even tip him but that’s a hit or miss proposition.

“Occasionally you get something,” he said. “It’s not an everyday thing. Some days you’ll make 10 to 15 bucks then the next few days you’ll get nothing.”

Nobody really thinks to leave a little something out for their trash collector but that is another job that requires people to be outside regardless of the weather conditions.

Darryl McDonald, coordinator for resource recovery for the Town of Okotoks, said his staff has to take precautions to protect themselves from the cold.

“The first thing we suggest is that they dress in layers so if they start overheating they can remove something that has to go,” he said. “We find if the clothes get wet from sweat then you’re in trouble because that’s when your clothing starts to freeze.”

McDonald said his people, who wear lined boots in the winter, have to watch for dampness issues there as well. He said every night his waste collectors pull their liners out of their boots to dry them and some even pull them out during their lunch break to try and get the moisture out.

Typically for garbage pickup, McDonald’s crew often man their vehicles alone and they get in and out of the trucks frequently. He said it’s important for his people to take stock of how they’re doing from time to time to ensure they are not over exposed to the elements.

“If it’s really windy and you are by yourself it’s important to look in your mirrors to check yourself for frostbite every once in a while,” he explained.

While people can wear down and lose their effectiveness in the cold, so can machinery. Tim Adams is the owner and operator of Summit Excavations. His company works right through the winter months doing things like digging basements for acreage homes. He said breaking through hard frozen dirt is extremely difficult sometimes requiring the use of a thawing device called a frost buster to loosen the earth before he can get started.

On other occasions he said the primary obstacle is simply getting a piece of equipment to function.

“I just had a challenge when I went out to get an excavator I had left at a work site,” Adams explained. “It didn’t want to start. Normally in something like 25 below you’re okay as long as you’re running lightweight oil. But with this excavator it sat for about a week and it really didn’t want to go.”

Anyone who has lingered in the house on a minus 30 day trying to avoid the necessity of going out and shoveling the driveway can likely empathize with a piece of machinery being reluctant to fire up.

Thankfully, for those who work outdoors there is expected to be a break from the cold snap for the rest of this week and into the weekend as temperatures rise above zero.

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