Hot, stifling quarters make checking on welders tricky

Wow. Some of the toughest welding conditions in the world are at Oakland's Bay Bridge. Bay Bridge welders work under tough conditions where, in cramped, hot quarters, it's easy for a fatigued worker to make everyday mistakes. Check out what these guys have to endure to work on the bridge...

• Because the only way to reach these underwater metal chambers is by boat and ladder, it can be tricky for quality-control inspectors to watch for errors.<>
• <>For 10 hours a day, welders stand in an area the size of a walk-in closet, moving a Bug-O welding robot in preset zigzag patterns as much as 50 feet below the Bay waterline.
• Metal is preheated to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, so the chamber is not just smoky, it's hot. One welder took a thermometer into the hole and said it topped out at 135 degrees.
• A person who turns his back on welding can get sunburn-like radiation burns on his neck after five minutes, instructors say.
  
• Welders lost several pounds of water weight just standing in "the hole" each day.
  
• Strong men in their early 20s are so drained they take catnaps in uncomfortable nooks, even after taking potassium tablets and guzzling Gatorade.
  
• On the Bay Bridge job, one suffered from heat stroke, many complained of serious leg cramps, and several had minor radiation burns on their faces.

Tough job. Takes tough men.