Enhancing Workplace Safety During the Summer Months

Enhancing workplace safety during the summer months is essential. Because your employees are your biggest asset, you must take precautions to protect their health.

Educating your manufacturing or light industrial employees on workplace safety during hot, humid weather helps keep them healthy, engaged, and productive. Minimizing the risks of working amid high temperatures and humidity levels elevates employee morale, job satisfaction, and retention. These factors strengthen the bottom line.

Choose among these methods to enhance workplace safety for your manufacturing or light industrial employees during the summer months.

Maintain the HVAC System

Ensure the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system receives regular maintenance. Properly ventilating and cooling the facility helps prevent heat-related health issues.

Tips to enhance air circulation and ventilation

  • Open the outdoor air dampers past the minimum settings to minimize air recirculation.
  • Set the air filtration level high to support airflow.
  • Use portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) fans or filtration systems to clean the air.
  • Securely place window fans to circulate air throughout the facility.

Educate Employees on Heat-Related Illnesses

Excessive sweating in hot, humid weather can lead to heat-related illnesses:

  • Heat rash shows up as small red bumps on the skin.
  • Heat cramps are involuntary muscle contractions that can lead to heat exhaustion.
  • Heat exhaustion occurs when the body sweats too much water and salt and can cause heat stroke.
  • Heat stroke is a medical emergency that occurs when the body cannot cool itself or control its core temperature.

Tips to prevent heat-related illnesses

You can use these tips to prevent heat-related illnesses among your workforce:

  • Train employees to recognize the signs of heat-related illnesses and take action.
  • Provide cooling vests and cooling towels to lower employees’ body temperatures.
  • Offer access to cool water or other non-caffeinated, non-alcoholic, low-sugar beverages.
  • Require frequent breaks in shaded areas.
  • Reduce employees’ physical demands during high temperatures and humidity levels.
  • Have employees work inside from 10 am to 2 pm, the hottest time of day.

Encourage Regular Hydration

The body requires water to regulate its core temperature, bring nutrients to organs, and flush out toxins. However, breathing, sweating, and urinating cause the body to lose water. Therefore, the lost fluid must be regularly replenished.

Signs of dehydration include:

  • Excessive sweating
  • Hot skin
  • Thirst
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle cramps
  • Nausea
  • Dizziness
  • Confusion

Tips to prevent dehydration

  • Provide access to cool water.
  • Encourage employees to drink one cup of liquid every 15-20 minutes.
  • Let employees know that clear or pale-yellow urine indicates adequate hydration and darker yellow is a sign of dehydration.

Do You Need Help with Manufacturing or Light Industrial Staffing?

Connectology can provide you with experienced manufacturing and light industrial workers to support your staffing needs. Reach out to learn more today.