The National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Advisory for the Chicagoland area for Thursday, July 21 and Friday, July 22, 2016. Temps are expected to crest in the mid-90s with heat indexes reaching up to 115 degrees.
So, will it be hot enough to fry an egg on pavement on either of these days? The answer is likely, “No.”
Bill Nye the Science Guy tested egg-frying in a pan a few years ago and found that an egg needed to be heated to at least 130 degrees Fahrenheit for it to cook. And it took the egg about 20 minutes to cook under such relatively low heat.
In 2011, a Death Valley National Park employee attempted to fry an egg on pavement on a 127-degree day. The attempt failed, but on a subsequent try, an egg did fry outside in a covered frying pan.
While we don’t recommend that you attempt egg-frying experiments on Argonne sidewalks — please save that one for at home! We do recommend that you wear sunscreen and take measures to avoid heat stress. To prepare for the hot temps that Chicagoland is expecting, check out this safety share on heat related illnesses and First Aid treatment. Please print this info and share with colleagues and/or staff. Additional information about heat stress is available on Inside Argonne.
Beginning each meeting with a safety share is a great way to break the ice, begin team building from the onset of meetings and keep safety at the forefront of our minds.
All employees are encouraged to submit safety shares for inclusion in the Safety Share Library. Submission details are available on Inside Argonne.
Each month a safety share submitted by an individual will be selected by Environment, Safety and Quality Assurance to receive a Spot Award for demonstrated safety leadership. The Spot Award program offers three award levels: gold ($100), silver ($50) and bronze ($25).