Teams ensure Tian'anmen lights will work for holiday

For nearly six decades, teams of electricians have spent months in the run-up to National Day on Oct 1 testing and cleaning the many decorative streetlights that dot Beijing's iconic Tian'anmen Square and Chang'an Avenue.

The summer months are often grueling, but the team is taking extra precautions to protect themselves against the heat hitting the capital this summer. Temperatures last week soared as high as 38 C.

"Work is mostly carried out in the daytime, when the lights are off, to avoid peak traffic," said Li Xiaohui, director of the Beijing Lighting Management Center, which has been organizing the cleanup job for 57 years. "This means workers are out there from 10 am to 4 pm, the hottest part of the day."

Beijing experienced 10 days last month with temperatures above 35 C, the hottest string of days in June since 2000, and more of the same is forecast for July, according to the Beijing Meteorological Center.

The electricians－selected from Beijing's power grid authority－work from May to September and use ladder trucks to clean the 253 streetlights. Each lamppost stands 14 meters tall. Ones with nine large bulbs are designed to resemble a lotus flower, while those with 13 resemble a peach.

Meng Qingshui, who led the team for 38 years, said the temperature on the steel floor of the hoist can get up to 80 C. Ice water, heat relief pills and wet towels were given to workers to help stave off heat exhaustion, but a handful of cases still occurred over the years, he said.

Things have improved with more healthcare measures now being taken for the workers.

"We start every day by evaluating the potential risks and safety guidelines, taking the weather forecasts into consideration," said Chen Chunguang, who is leading this year's team of 13.

"For example, on an extremely hot day, we would suggest expanding the sunshade umbrella of the operating platform in advance," he said.

A surveillance camera has also been installed on the truck for the control center to monitor their work and watch out for hazards. "If a worker is spotted violating safety regulations or showing signs of heat exhaustion, the center will see the live footage and communicate with the workers immediately," Chen said.

The center has also refitted the truck that lifts the workers high in the air to complete their tasks.

"The truck in use is the fourth version of its kind. It has a hydraulic pressure system and a wide platform, so all cleaning can be done up there instead of climbing up and down, which is time-consuming and exhausting," Chen said.
Wang Xiaoyu contributed to this story.