Traverse City Is Heating Up: The Hidden Gem Everyone Is Rushing To Discover!

The summer heat is intensifying, placing parts of the country under extreme heat advisories and forcing local businesses to adjust how they operate.

Across northern Michigan, employers are taking extra precautions to protect workers while continuing to serve customers. Although the hot July weather has many people heading to beaches, parks and ice cream shops, others must spend their workdays outdoors or in buildings where temperatures can quickly become dangerous.

At Summit Landscaping, working from home is not an option. Crews remain outside, but management allows the weather to determine how long they stay on the job.

“We’ve got to call the day at 2:30 or 3 p.m. because it’s too hot,” said Trent Schutte, who works in client experience and employee excellence for Summit Landscaping. “We’d rather do that than have somebody push themselves too far.”

Schutte said company leaders understand the physical demands because many of them have performed the same work in the past.

“You have leadership from the top down who, at one point, did what our people are doing now and understands what it feels like,” he said. “Everybody has to go home at the end of the day.”

The company’s safety committee regularly reminds employees to drink plenty of water, take frequent breaks and rest whenever necessary.

“If you go home tired and completely worn down, that’s not good,” Schutte said. “It affects your life outside the company, and we understand that.”

Extreme heat is more than uncomfortable. It can also create serious health risks.

“When you are exposed to high levels of heat, you can become dehydrated and develop electrolyte problems, which may increase your risk of a heart attack,” said Dr. Will Britton, an emergency department medical director. “People need to monitor how they are feeling and be proactive about avoiding heat-related illness.”

Heat-related workplace problems are not limited to outdoor jobs.

Frenchie’s in Traverse City recently closed temporarily after temperatures inside the business became too difficult to manage.

“It doesn’t happen very often that we simply can’t operate,” said owner French Clements. “But it’s a balance you have to consider. At some point, you have to ask how bad the conditions have become.”

Munson Healthcare is also reminding residents and workers to stay hydrated, limit strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day and watch for signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke.