"Cold" Career Under High Temperatures: One Day Is Four Seasons
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One side is scorching heat, and the other is the working environment of minus 18 degrees Celsius. What is the experience of feeling the temperature difference of nearly 60 degrees Celsius every day?
In the high temperature, there is a group of low-temperature laborers, their short-sleeved and cotton coats are rotated at any time, and they can feel the four seasons in one day.
In the hot summer season, a group of people wrapped in military coats and winter hats work in the cold of minus 18 degrees Celsius every day, feel the temperature difference of nearly 60 degrees Celsius, and experience the "fun" from summer to winter.
"Compared with hard work under high temperature, we are very lucky. We can't feel the heat at all, and we can receive low temperature subsidies all year round." The cold storage master said cheerfully.
Two days of ice and fire inside and outside the freezer
Entering August, the temperature in Chongqing has continuously advanced to 40 degrees Celsius, but the cold storage workers are wearing cotton jackets at work.
There are many large and small frozen warehouses in the main city of Chongqing. Before the ingredients come into the hands of the citizens, the workers in the frozen warehouses are quietly engaged in low-temperature work that no one can see, just to satisfy customers' fresh and delicious bites.
At 8 o'clock in the morning on August 5, the scorching sun was clear, and Chongqing was still an orange high temperature warning.
The reporter walked into the Yunan Frozen Goods Trading Market on Nanhu Branch Road in Nan'an District of Chongqing and saw that Chen Jin, a 32-year-old cold storage worker, ushered in the busiest moment of the day.
The Yunan Frozen Food Market is the country's largest hotpot food distribution center. Under the scorching sun, the outdoor temperature is close to 40 degrees Celsius. Chen Jin, wearing cotton pants and short sleeves, is particularly eye-catching.
He kept shipping and moving goods. Chen Jin's shirt was soaked. As he had to enter the freezing warehouse at minus 18 degrees Celsius at any time, he was carrying a green army coat in his hand.
The reporter saw on the scene that despite the intense summer heat outside, there was a thick layer of ice ballast on the top of the freezer, and even the isolation nets in each area were covered with a layer of ice crystals.
The carts carrying goods shuttled back and forth on the ice, leaving traces.
Chen Jin said that you need to be very careful when walking on such ground, otherwise you may slip and fall.
"Our work clothes generally have to wear three or four layers." Chen Jin told reporters that because the temperature in the freezer is too low, it is important to keep warm. A suit weighs about 5 kilograms.
Despite taking adequate warmth measures, Chen Jin's nose and ears were flushed red from the cold after entering the freezer for a period of time.
Chen Jin introduced that when there are a lot of shipments, the frozen products on the pallet are higher than people. When the goods are moved under the scorching sun, the cotton trousers will be soaked. There are also retail customers who only buy a box of shrimps, and he also wants to buy in. Shipment from frozen storage.
Sometimes, when it is too cold in the freezer, your hands will freeze, so you can go outside to "warm up".
From the freezer, due to the temperature difference, the skin will feel burning.
It is necessary to cross the temperature difference of nearly 60 degrees Celsius many times a day. Facing the test of the ice and fire, Chen Jin said: "We are all used to it."
I still sweat profusely with ice
An ice brick is about 65 cm long and weighs about 50 kilograms. It is not easy to carry. Liu Ping, a worker in Chongqing Freezing Factory, bent over and carried the ice out one by one. The ice cubes were "sent" over, and so on, less than 10 minutes, sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Although the ice workshop is cool, we are doing physical work and we must still sweat, but this is much easier than my previous working environment in coal mines, and there is no need to bask in the sun." He said.
What is the difference between working in a low temperature environment and normal temperature?
Liu Ping introduced that the sensitivity of the human body will decrease under low temperature, so safety is very important.
If the body feels uncomfortable, the workers will go out to breathe and return to the workshop to continue working.
If someone catches a cold, they can change shifts with workers who move goods outdoors or ask for leave. They won’t be in the ice workshop all day.
"Despite warming measures, it is still not suitable to stay for a long time. Workers usually come out once in about 20 minutes and warm up at room temperature." Liu Ping said that in addition to overcoming the low temperature environment, the hot weather outside the ice workshop will also make people feel uncomfortable. It feels very uncomfortable and needs to be "buffered" for a while before going outdoors to allow the body to adapt.
The continuous high temperature weather has made ice in short supply, and the owner of the ice factory has no choice but to "compensate" some users.
During the reporter's interview, Ms. Chen, the relevant person in charge of the ice factory, answered more than 10 calls back and forth. The calls were all customers who bought ice cubes, and they were mostly used for the preservation of vegetables and seafood.
"It's not possible today. I have to wait till tomorrow at the earliest." Ms. Chen replied.
Ms. Chen told reporters that due to the hot weather in the past few days, the sales of ice cubes have also increased. With the expansion of market demand, the unit price has risen from 4 yuan to 6 yuan, and there is no "inventory" in the warehouse. .
"Recently, the sales volume is large, and the working hours of our workers will also be appropriately increased. At the same time, the factory has also increased our wages." Liu Ping said with a smile.
Safety and epidemic prevention must be the top priority
"Because the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the freezer is sixty to seventy degrees Celsius, it is very easy to catch a cold if you don't pay attention." Liang Zhengwen, 41, comes from the rural area of Chongqing Wansheng Economic Development Zone.
Since the Hailing (Ringkong) International Agricultural Products Trading Center opened in 2019, he opened a forklift here, and his main job is to send frozen foods to the freezer for storage and transport the frozen products that need to be taken out.
Liang Zhengwen told reporters that before entering the freezer, he would carefully check his equipment, such as cotton shoes, cotton hats, gloves, and knee pads, all of which are essential.
"After entering the freezer, the cold is constantly burrowing into the body, so these equipment must be worn well. After wearing a cotton cap, the ears will be much warmer; and the knee pads can protect the joints from the cold." Liang Zhengwen said.
“It’s okay in winter, but it’s harder in summer. As soon as you get out of the door of the freezer, your cotton coat will soon be covered with drops of water. You must take it off and dry it in the sun immediately.” Liang Zhengwen told reporters that he used to be in Guangdong and Fujian. After working, in order to take care of the family, he returned to Chongqing to work in the past two years.
"At present, the monthly salary is 4,500 yuan, plus some bonuses. Overall, it is quite satisfactory."
The porter Zhan Hui is from Changlin County, Yibin, Sichuan. He used to work as a carpenter and mason in his hometown. In 2019, he came to the Marine Market to become a porter.
He told reporters that when a porter, special attention should be paid to safety. Because the temperature in the freezer is low and the body is thickly worn, special care must be taken to prevent the goods from falling from the shelves and hurting people.
"I have two children in my family, and my parents and other children, so I value this job very much!" Zhan Hui said that as the pillar of the family, he and the workers pay great attention to safety and strictly follow the management regulations. Try not to leave the coat.
Especially during the epidemic, you must pay more attention to protection to ensure that you do not have a fever or catch a cold.
During the interview, the reporter learned that Hailing Market is the only large-scale comprehensive agricultural product wholesale market in Chongqing Sanbei (Jiangbei, Yubei, and Northern New District) created by Chongqing Hailing Industrial Co., Ltd.
The person in charge of the market told the reporter that the prevention and control of imported cold-chain food is the top priority of the epidemic prevention and control link in the marine market. All imported cold-chain food must hold the "three certificates and one code", which does not meet the relevant regulations. The cold chain food market refuses to accept warehousing and regularly eliminates the environment to ensure the safety of cold chain food in the market and the safety of cold chain workers.
Li Guo