I'm Nicky Strong and this is VioA1 that hits.

Welcome to Learning English, a daily 30 minute program from the Voice of America.

I'm Ashley Thompson.

And I'm Mario Ritter Jr.

This program is designed for English learners so we speak a little slower and we use words and

phrases especially written for people learning English.

Today Mario Ritter Jr. has a story on the effects that Heat can have on worker productivity. Brian Lynn presents this week's technology report.

Finally, we hear today's lesson of the day

from teachers, Andrew Smith, and Jill Robbins. But first,

On a hot summer day workers recently worked to remove asbestos and hazardous waste at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

It is a former nuclear center that the government wants to tear down.

The men wore full body protective clothing and used respirators to clean the air they breathe.

But the clothing does not protect them from high temperatures inside the building and inside their heavy clothing.

On their arms they wear devices that record their heart rates, movements, and levels of exertion.

The aim is to look for heat stress.

Stephanie Miller oversees safety. stress. She watches a computer to observe each worker's data looking for danger of overheating.

Miller said, heat is one of the greatest risks that we have in this work, even though we deal

with high radiation, hazardous chemicals, and heavy metals.

The issue of heat in the workplace has been getting more attention

since a 2021 report from the research organization Atlantic Council.

The group said the United States loses an average of $100 billion each year from heat-induced

reductions in productivity.

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