Summer is here, with soaring temperatures and high humidity impacting much of North America. Dangerous heat levels not only cause productivity issues but also come into conflict with your safety regulations for employees. High temperatures mean employees will be uncomfortable, need more breaks, or even require production stoppage. As an organization, it’s more important than ever to ensure your employees are safe from the dangers of heat stress while maintaining production levels.
What is heat stress?
Wherever your projects are based, there’s no escape from the heat. High temperatures can quickly create an uncomfortable and unsafe environment for your employees. The consequences of this can be severe, ranging from increased mistakes and accidents to unwanted liability for your organization. Don’t just gloss over it – safety should always come first.
What are heat stress symptoms?
Heat stress occurs when the human body cannot regulate its internal temperature due to external factors such as high temperature and humidity. Symptoms of heat stress can include visible sweating, dizziness, nausea, clumsiness, and confusion.
But that’s not all; there are many other symptoms that may require immediate medical attention:
Heat cramps: Heat cramps are sudden muscle pains and spasms that occur in the legs, arms, or abdomen. They’re usually caused by dehydration through excessive sweating, and of course being exposed to very hot and humid conditions. If this happens to an employee on a worksite, you’ll need to cool them down as fast as possible, rehydrate them, and replenish their electrolytes if you want to prevent more serious conditions.
Heat cramps are considered the mildest form of a heat-related illness.
Heat exhaustion: Heat exhaustion is when high temperatures overheat the body. Symptoms may include excessive sweating, weakness, dizziness, nausea, headache, muscle cramps, rapid pulse, and pale or clammy skin.
If an employee is experiencing heat exhaustion, move them to a cool place and rehydrate them with fluids and electrolytes immediately. Remove any extra clothing, apply a cool compress, and seek medical attention if needed. Heat exhaustion is considered more severe than heat cramps.
Heat stroke: A heat stroke is a medical emergency that requires medical attention immediately.
This is when the body’s temperature rises to 104°F (40°C) or higher and cannot cool itself. Other symptoms include a rapid strong pulse, throbbing headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion, loss of consciousness, and seizures.
If not treated immediately, it can lead to permanent disability or death because of complications such as organ failure. It’s important to bring the individual to a cooler place and use anything available to cool them down, such as ice packs.
How does heat stress affect your employees?
Heat stress is dangerous, but it can also affect your people in a few unexpected ways. How?
- Reduced productivity and performance: Heat stress can lead to fatigue, dizziness, and loss of concentration – which makes it difficult for employees to work safely and efficiently. Eventually, that dip in productivity will have an impact on your bottom line – and you can imagine how much that effect can multiply over a long, hot summer. A study from the International Labour Organization has shown that labor productivity declines at temperatures above 24-26°C (75.2-78.8°F). At temperatures around 33-34°C (91.4-93.2°F ), a worker operating at moderate work intensity loses 50% of their work capacity.
- Increased risk of accidents: Heat stress impairs cognitive function, reaction time, and decision-making abilities in your employees. This increases the chances of workplace accidents and injuries occurring.
- Worsening of pre-existing conditions: Heat stress can heighten the symptoms of pre-existing conditions in an individual such as heart disease, respiratory illnesses, and kidney disorders.
What are the risks if you don’t address heat stress?
In addition to putting your employees in danger and reducing productivity, you may also be held liable as an employer for not protecting your employees from heat stress.
While there is no specific rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration addressing employee protection from heat-related illnesses, employers are still required to provide a hazard-free workplace.
What is the solution to heat stress?
In addition to providing employees with ample break time and lots of water, it’s important to come up with a heat stress management plan.
With the summer season already here, we can help you create a cooler, more comfortable environment for your employees – just as we did for this cement manufacturer in New Jersey.
We’ll use a combination of chillers, cooling towers, air conditioners, and air handlers to create an optimal environment for productivity – plus provide supplementary power to help make sure your cooling equipment has the energy it needs to run efficiently and reliably.
Let’s dive deeper into the cooling products mentioned above:
- Cooling towers: Our cooling towers provide temporary cooling solutions for various industrial and commercial needs. They remove excess heat from the water used in your cooling systems, efficiently controlling temperatures inside your facility.
- Chillers: We offer a range of air-cooled chillers and water-cooled chillers that can help remove excess heat in no time, giving your employees a more comfortable environment to work in.
- Air conditioners: Whether you need extra cooling for a construction project or a movie set, our comprehensive range of cooling solutions will help bring the temperatures down.
- Air handlers: Air handlers circulate cool air around your facility to ensure that employees are kept as comfortable as possible. We provide air handlers in a wide variety of sizes and capacities, so you can choose one that fits your unique requirements.
Don’t leave it to chance
If you want to protect your people your productivity production levels, you need to have an effective cooling strategy in place now.
But don’t worry – Aggreko is here to help. We’ll provide you with power and cooling solutions to help you keep your employees cool all summer long and protect them from the risks of heat stress. Get in touch with us today to find out more.
Download this safety tip on heat stress for your toolbox meetings