Keep Cool While Touring the City
According to the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau, July is the warmest month in San Antonio, with the average high temperature at 95.6 F. For attendees desiring to venture outside the air-conditioned convention hall, Safety 2009 developers have organized a number of technical tours designed to showcase some of the unique sites helping to make San Antonio the third fastest-growing city in America and seventh largest overall.
The planned tours include trips to see the limestone mining operations at the Vulcan Materials Company and the wastewater operations at the Dos Rios Water Recycling and Treatment Center, among others. No cameras, video, or other recording devices are permitted.
Half-day and full-day outings are planned specifically for attendees' spouses and guests, including a tour of several of the city's historic missions. The Alamo is not on the itinerary for this particular expedition, which is odd considering it is the most-visited attraction in the state, but the four stops that are on the "Spanish Mission Trail" tour serve to tell the early story of the city and European expansion in the New World.
Other excursions include rafting on the Guadalupe River; a visit to Fredericksburg, Texas, and the LBJ Ranch; and a jaunt to several Texas Hill Country wineries, also with a stop in Fredericksburg.
While out, remember some helpful tips from OSHA on how to block out the sun's deadly rays:
- Cover up. Wear tightly-woven clothing that blocks out light. Try this test: Place your hand between a single layer of the clothing and a light source. If you can see your hand through the fabric, the garment offers little protection.
- Use sunscreen. A sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 blocks 93 percent of UV rays. You want to block both UVA and UVB rays to guard against skin cancer. Be sure to follow application directions on the bottle.
- Wear a hat. A wide brim hat (not a baseball cap) is ideal because it protects the neck, ears, eyes, forehead, nose, and scalp.
- Wear UV-absorbent shades. Sunglasses don't have to be expensive, but they should block 99-100 percent of UVA and UVB radiation.
- Limit exposure. UV rays are most intense between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. If you're unsure about the sun’s intensity, take the shadow test: If your shadow is shorter than you, the sun's rays are the day's strongest.