KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Today turned out to be one of the hottest days of the summer. It didn’t stop people from going to work.
The heat is always on inside the plant walls at Martin Foundry.
The workers at that east Kansas City business are always sweating, especially when the outdoor mercury rises. It’s hard not to perspire when brass and aluminum are melted and poured to make metal fittings.
Gauges inside the plant show the metal temperature near 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Plant employee James Brown has been there for 41 years worth of hot labor, and only a few electric fans keep the heat away.
“It gets pretty bad because of the humidity,” Brown said. “Not just the heat, but the humidity plays a factor also.”
James’ advice: Ignore the heat, even when it rises to nearly 130 inside the foundry.
“It doesn’t feel as humid today,” BBQ Pitmaster Mark O’Bryan said.
O’Bryan would know the difference. He’s always cooking outside, working as pitmaster for Woodyard Barbecue in KCK.
His restaurant claims one of the few remaining outdoor brick meat smokers.
The temperature inside the smoker is somewhere between 300-400 degrees, and when the sun shines directly on mark near the smoker, the temperature skyrockets.
“This is like a heat sink,” O’Bryan said, referring to his workspace near the smoker. “In between all the thermal energy being put out from the flames, it gets quite warm.”
Mark’s secret to keep cool: Keep the water and citrus going.
If hot summertime jobs aren’t for you, there’s always the polar opposite. At Boyle Famous Corned Beef Company, the temperature rarely gets above freezing.
Tony Trombino said there’s nothing like working in the cold when it’s hot outside.
“It’s wonderful,” Trombino said. “It’s the best place to be in the summertime.”
And in 29 years on the job, Trombino doesn’t understand how others stand working in the heat.
