Air conditioning has returned after a broken unit made things toasty for student workers at West End Market dining hall.
The air conditioning unit, which broke down Sunday, was responsible for controlling temperature for the West End Market, Dietrick Hall and several office spaces and residence halls.
The resulting rise in temperature made working conditions sweltering for student employees.
One employee working Sunday, who asked for anonymity to protect his job, measured temperatures of more than 90 degrees in his work area of the dining hall.
“Everybody was pretty hot on Sunday,” the employee said.
To get out of the hot work areas, the employee offered to grab supplies from the dining hall’s fridge area.
“I’d volunteer and take a few extra minutes to cool off,” the employee said.
The employee also reported that managers advised employees that the air conditioning was not broken, but rather it was not set to turn on until May 7.
Additionally, the employee said that student managers warned employees to stay at their stations.
“He said to me, ‘You can go home if you want, but we’ll probably fire you,’” the employee said.
Leaving the dining hall following an approximately four-and-a-half-hour shift, the employee experienced a nosebleed.
“As soon as the colder air hit me, my nose started gushing,” the employee said.
Rick Johnson, director of housing and dining services, said that his office sometimes struggles with properly gauging dining hall temperature. Johnson said that while the ideal temperature for the dining halls is about 74 degrees, levels are set a little lower to allow for variations in heat levels.
“If we get up to 75 or 80 degrees, which is what happened Sunday ... that’s a sign to management that something isn’t working right,” Johnson said.
Steve Garnett, unit manager senior at West End, added that the air conditioning has been on for more than two weeks in the dining halls.
Garnett, who was not at the dining hall Sunday, said supervisors should observe employee work areas.
“While we allow for supervisors to run their shops as efficiently as possible, the health and wellbeing of our employees as well as our customers are taken into effect,” Garnett said.
Garnett said he was surprised to hear about the high heat levels, as none of the closing notes for the day mentioned the rising heat levels. Garnett only learned of the heating issues after speaking with maintenance officials.
While he was not aware of specific confrontations, Garnett apologized for his manager’s comments when the Collegiate Times brought them up.
Garnett said that temperatures were normal when he went in Monday morning, and that tests Tuesday showed temperature levels ranging between 70 and 73 degrees.
While noting the negative health effects of heat stress on its Web site, there are currently no state or federal workplace regulations from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration for monitoring workplace temperature.
A version of this article appeared in the Apr 15 issue of the Collegiate Times.
Leave a comment 10 Comments Write a letter to the editor
All letters to the editor must include a name, e-mail, daytime phone number and affiliation to Virginia Tech. Affiliation includes: year and major for students; position and department for faculty and staff; current city for alumni and parents.
80 degrees?.. uh... like oh em gee like thats just ridiculous.
in total seriousness, i think some of the classrooms are hotter than that. the dorms dont even have AC. 80 degrees? hahaha
Reply to this Top
I worked at West End on Sunday for 9 hours (not the short student shift described by one of these posts) and I was complaining then but I do not think it necessary now. However, I am having trouble understanding why all of these posts find it relevant to criticize the employees who work there. Trust me it was not 80 degrees with a nice breeze...I did not stop sweating no matter where I stood for my entire shift. Was it the worst thing ever? Of course not. I do not even think it deserved a CT article but I can do without hearing how much worse it could have been by people who were not there.
Reply to this Top
I worked for West End for 2.5 years while at Tech. It gets hot, especially when you are running the ovens or grill in the shops. Why is this an issue? Because one disgruntled employee made comments? Stuff happens and working in 90 degree weather is not dangerous for the hours most of these students work.
Reply to this Top
Probably because no one wants their food handed to them with servers dripping sweat that are probably wiping the sweat off their foreheads. Also, who wants to sit and eat in 90 degrees? Yeah, the dorms are hot as are the classrooms, but opening windows and fans are usually an option. I wouldn't think the employees at West End have this option. Looks like the people who commented haven't had the pleasure of working in food service industry. It's not a fun job, and doing it when it's hot as hell would be miserable. A little human compassion, please?
Reply to this Top
give me a break...i had to watch and run around with 15 ten year olds in hotter weather getting paid less than 6 dollars an hour and never complained...while that may be more "fun" than working in the food industry, i guarantee you its more exhausting....whoever complained needs to grow a pair
Reply to this Top
You want your food handed to you from someone dripping sweat? Go ahead, eat up then.
Top
There were two people that commented before you. One of them, that being me, stated he worked at the very establishment this article deals discusses. I can not say for certain that the AC every fully gave out when I worked there, but it at times did let the heat rise to the 80s. It sucked, but it was my job.
Reply to this Top
I know what 85 degrees feels like inside and it's unbearable after an hour without water especially if your working. But 90 degrees and they didn't close!
I understand stuff happens and all, but management should be more careful with the employees especially after a nosebleed. That alone should be a red flag.
All they need is an employee to pass out due to heat exhaustion or worse heat stroke because he/she was not able to leave his station for 10 minutes and hydrate him/herself.
They are asking for a lawsuit to happen and it will happen eventually if this keeps happening every year.
I know operations need to go on as best as possible but the health and safety of the employee should always come first, no questions asked.
Most places I know, if such situations happen especially 90 degrees, they just close until things are repaired. It's that simple.
Yeah you loose some money but not as much as would be lost in a lawsuit.
Management needs to use some common sense here.
Actually, I'm sure what they are/were doing is probably illegal in some sense.
80 degrees is not comfortable but bearable but 90 degrees is where you draw the line if not 85.
This just reaffirms that I will never work a job in food service or would be last resort because of bad management.
Top
These kids at West End have no idea how good they have it. They should come work at Shultz for an hour, where the temperature, in a non-kitchen area of the building, is regularly at 80 degrees. The kitchen can get much hotter during high tempo operation. The entire building has no A/C. So don't even think about complaining to us, because we don't want to hear it.
Reply to this Top
Oh man, 90 degrees! At TotS, the kitchen stays a cool 109 degrees until well after sundown, and you don't hear us bellyaching about it to the CT. Stop whining and do your jobs.
Reply to this Top