COWETA, Okla. — The brutal heat is the reason Wade’s Chassis Shop and Coweta Quick Change adjusted their hours this week.
The owners, Wade and Lisa Klinnert, say they’re trying to keep employees safe.
“When it gets to 105, 107, 108, that’s just in the extreme category and it’s just not worth it,” said Lisa Klinnert.
The temperatures inside the shop and under the hood of a car can be brutal in the summer heat. During an oil change at the business, two employees at a time are exposed to extreme temperatures.
“Under the hood, that car is usually sitting at water temperature at 200 degrees,” said Wade Klinnert.
“All that heat coming up that guy gets a beating. That guy that’s underneath that has to drop that oil that’s 200 degrees with an oil filter and everything.”
The owners make sure to rotate those positions frequently so nobody overheats.
“There’s a lot of heat that comes off that motor when it comes in,” said Wade Klinnert.
The Klinnerts have been in business for 35 years. They’ve been in Coweta for the last five years.
This week because of the extreme heat, they switched their hours from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. to 5 a.m.-2 p.m.
“From like 2-6 when it’s the worst, they’ll already be home in the air conditioning,” said Lisa Klinnert.
“If we don’t have those guys in good health and serve them, then we can’t help anybody else either. So that is our primary focus always.”
They’re also encouraging their six employees to drink a lot of water to stay hydrated during their shift.
“We work all as a team. If you have one out, the team is not going to perform together like we do. So we’re just trying to keep everybody safe and healthy,” said Wade Klinnert.
The owners say customers have been really receptive to the new hours this week. They’re also thankful that they’re self-employed and can make decisions to help their workers.
“We just have to protect our game players,” said Wade Klinnert.
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