- UPS workers told The City about the struggles of working during a heatwave in New York.
- One UPS worker said his boss told him that sipping water wasted company time, per The City's report.
- A UPS spokesperson said the drivers are trained to work outside and to cope with the heat.
A UPS worker has accused his boss of telling him off for pausing to drink water, amid a searing heatwave, The City reported on Thursday.
The worker, whose name was not disclosed in the report, told The City he was reprimanded when stopped for 47 seconds to sip water. The worker told The City that his supervisor said it was wasting company time.
Temperatures reached highs of 95 degrees Fahrenheit last week in New York, making it more difficult for UPS workers to work, some employees told the publication.
Other workers described their struggle to work in the hot weather. One UPS staff member, Chris Cappadonna, told the publication that his hands became cramped and he had difficulty breathing on July 22 when trying to carry heavy furniture in the heat.
Cappadonna said he nearly fainted and two city sanitation workers came over to help him. Cappadonna then went to the emergency department at a nearby hospital, he added.
According to The City, paramedics had to attend to Nick Gubell, a UPS delivery driver who felt sick at the end of his shift on July 22. Gubell said he had to attend hospital and miss his shift the following day.
Angelique Dawkins, a UPS driver, told The City she began hyperventilating because of the heat and went to a local nail salon to rest. She told the publication that she slept for 20 minutes before taking to the wheel again.
UPS told Insider in a statement: "The health and safety of our employees is our highest priority. UPS drivers are trained to work outdoors and to manage the effects of hot weather. Our package delivery vehicles make frequent stops, which requires the engine to be turned off and the doors to be opened and closed, about 130 times a day on average."
The company said it had implemented several measures to reduce heat in its vans. "We never want our employees to continue working to the point that they risk their health or work in an unsafe manner," it added.
In similar weather conditions to the ones described in The City's report, a UPS driver working in Arizona collapsed at a customer's front door — the incident was captured on video via a Ring doorbell. A UPS spokesperson previously told Insider the driver was "fine" and received help from a manager.