(WSIL) -- It felt like triple digit heat out there Thursday afternoon.
One construction company we called Thursday morning, had already pulled their crews from the jobsite due to the heat and humidity forecast for Thursday.
But just driving around Herrin, it was clear that a triple digit heat index couldn't cancel outdoor work for everyone.
We spoke with two workers with plenty of experience in grueling conditions, and each say they had to learn just how much their bodies could take... the hard way.
"I was trying to get a job done, same heat and humidity, and I actually was drinking Gatorade you know throughout the day and what not, and then um I stopped sweating. I just kept drinking thinking everything would be fine, kept pushing trying to get the job done, and I actually blacked out of heat exhaustion," says Owner of Southern Illinois Construction, Roman Pernice.
"About fell out of the truck and vomited all over before. It's been bad before but you just get used to knowing what your body can take and you adjust to it," says Union Laborer, Mike Meacham.
They say if you pay attention to your body and recognize signs of heat related illnesses, you don't have to learn the hard way.
Both workers say their secret today has been frequent breaks, shade, and water.
High school football players are also feeling the effects of the heat.
Coach Bryan Lee says they decided to account for the heat when they set their daily start time at 5:30 p.m., but to account for Thursday's conditions, they've pushed it back to 6:30 p.m.
Now that the heat and humidity is in fully blast, coach Lee says he isn't sure the heat will subside quick enough to meet IHSA requirements.
Lee says he's all about getting the most out of his players and that means keeping them healthy by pushing practice back to 6:30.
"If you're starting to feel the effects of the heat, you're not doing you any good, you're not doing us any good, because you're taking yourself out of the equation. We want you to be hydrated, we want you to be mentally focused."
Coach Lee told me that the game isn't the same as it was 40 years ago.
He says they aren't withholding water from players, adding that water breaks are given freely and athletes are told to listen to their bodies.
