In dog days, outdoor workers keep going

14 Aug 2020

Author:

Source: http://acftu.people.com.cn/n1/2020/0814/c67502-31822221.html

"Others hate hot weather, but I like it"


As an air conditioner repairer, the peak of summer is Cao Zheng's peak working season. When the reporter saw Cao Zheng, he was wearing a standard blue overalls and a pair of white gloves to clean the air conditioner of a household. The sweat on his face could not stop flowing down.


Work starts at 6 o'clock in the morning every day, and can't go home until 10 o'clock in the evening, and sometimes it's even busy until 11 or 12 o'clock at night. "On average, I do about 10 orders a day, and at most 14 orders a day." Cao Zheng said as he wiped the sweat from his face with the back of his tanned hands. When it’s hot, the outside of the air conditioner and the protective fence are also scalded by the sun. When the outside machine needs to be repaired or cleaned, Cao Zheng must take protective measures, fix it on the outdoor wall and start working, and get sunburned or burned. It is also common.


In 2000, Cao Zheng came to Beijing from his hometown in Yiyang, Hunan, and worked in a switch factory. He had a leisurely job but had a meager salary. Six years ago, Cao Zhengxi got a pair of cute twins. In order to make more money for his little family, he decided to switch jobs to be an air conditioner repairer. "Although hard work, I earn more and I am relatively free in time." Cao Zheng said.


"Others hate the hot weather, but I still like it. When the weather is cool, the first thing I think about is that there is no work, and the salary may be reduced." Cao Zheng said with a smile. The nature of Cao Zheng's work determines that the higher the temperature, the more he has to work. In the midsummer, he will earn more than 10,000 yuan or even 20,000 yuan a month. Once the winter enters, his salary will be reduced by more than half.


At first, when doing air-conditioning repairs, Cao Zheng was very courageous and dared to do any job. The most difficult one was to charge the outer unit of a 30-story air-conditioner with fluorine. "At that time, he didn't think of fear." As the child grew up, Cao Zheng became a little "coward" with the care of his family. The air-conditioner often wandered on the edge of danger at work. He also witnessed a colleague who worked at a high temperature and had an accident due to heatstroke while filling an outdoor machine with fluorine. "Any industry has hardships and dangers. What we can do is refine our skills and pay attention to safety protection." Cao Zheng said.


A daily intake of 4 kg of water is necessary to ensure


If Cao Zheng only works at heights occasionally, then Qiao Zhiguo from China State Construction Buer Curtain Wall Decoration Co., Ltd. is equivalent to working "in the sky."


Master Qiao, who was born in 1977, has been engaged in curtain wall decoration for more than 20 years, and now he is already familiar with the road, and there is no problem working at heights for one or two hours at a time. But when he recalled his first homework, he still remembered his nervousness when he dared not look down. "At that time, dreaming would feel that I was high in the sky and sleeping unsteadily."


In summer, when you are engaged in curtain wall decoration, you must endure the discomfort caused by direct sunlight when you work, and you must work at an altitude of 200 meters above the ground at the highest point. "In addition to the high temperature and heat, what is even more uncomfortable is that sometimes the sun stabbed me to open my eyes." Every summer, Master Qiao has to get a layer of skin off his body. In order to avoid sunburn all over, he will be exposed to a high temperature of 37 degrees Celsius. Wearing long trousers and long sleeves, he covered himself thickly. In addition, a daily intake of 4 kg of water is necessary to ensure that Huoxiang Zhengqi water should be carried with you. Even if you drink so much water, you should go to the toilet as little as possible to prevent the water from evaporating through sweat.


In addition to paying attention to heatstroke prevention, we must always pay attention to safety issues. Master Qiao told reporters that a few years ago, during high-altitude operations on a summer day, the gondola suddenly failed and kept rising. Fortunately, the worker on the side pressed the emergency brake to stop it. Otherwise, when it reached a certain height, the rope would She broke off because she couldn't bear the pressure, "I'm afraid to think about it now."


As the company covers food and housing, Master Qiao does not have much living expenses and sends most of his salary back to his hometown in Nanyang, Henan every month. The 9-year-old daughter is in elementary school and his adult son is preparing to join the army. His top priority is to save money to buy a house in his hometown. "I am 43 years old this year. I am considered the golden age in this business. I have both experience and physical strength, so I can earn more."


August 8th happened to be Master Qiao’s birthday. At noon that day, he posted a photo of a bowl of noodles in his circle of friends with the text "May there be more candles on it next year". Even after eating this bowl of noodles, even after his birthday, this simple sense of ritual reminds him that he is one year older, and also indicates that he is one step closer to buying a house.


"After the whole trip, the clothes can wring out the water"


"Hello, are there many things to move? How many pp woven bags? See if my car can be installed. Oh, no problem, I will arrive in 15 minutes." On the afternoon of August 11, mover Zhang Xiaoliang confirmed the mover After the position, step on the accelerator, the truck will start and set off towards the destination.


In March of this year, Zhang Xiaoliang started to work on moving. While picking up work through the online moving platform, he ran some long-distance soliciting services through acquaintances.


In mid-to-late July, the epidemic situation in Beijing gradually improved, and the moving service ushered in a small peak. Zhang Xiaoliang got up on time at 5:30 every morning, a truck, a trolley, a few nylon ropes, plus a pair of white gloves, took all the belongings and started the day's work, which did not end until 11 o'clock in the middle of the night.


Recently, the weather has been hot. In order to make the day’s work more efficient, Zhang Xiaoliang tried to move as many items as possible at one time. Because the cargo was too heavy, the nylon rope left deep marks on his skin, and his back was a little camel. His short sleeves were also contaminated by stains on the items. It's okay to encounter a building with an elevator. When there is no elevator, you can only rely on your shoulders to bear all the weight of the items. "After the whole trip, the clothes can be twisted out of the water." Cao Zheng said.


In 2002, Zhang Xiaoliang came to Beijing from his hometown of Liaoning to open a restaurant. In February of this year, Zhang Xiaoliang was hit hard by the sudden epidemic. After closing the restaurant, he relied on this truck to become a mover. Although hard work, he also feels another kind of steadiness as he is busy running around every day. He has less anxiety and pressure. He firmly believes that he can get rich through his hardworking hands.


At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Zhang Xiaoliang helped the employer move all the items upstairs and sat aside to rest. The employer handed a bottle of ice water and said, "Master has worked hard." He shyly said thank you. Faced with such kindness, Zhang Xiaoliang felt comfort and coolness in the hot weather.