Do your employees work indoors? Perhaps they work outside or in a high-temperature warehouse. Regardless, certain types of businesses have to strategically plan for the hot summer months and supervisors have to pay even close attention to ensure adequate breaks and hydration for each employee. Regardless of your staff’s work conditions, it is always wise to be prepared for the summer heat and how it could affect your team.
Here are a few ways to prepare your team for the hot summer months:
- Provide plenty of water and adequate breaks. “Water. Rest. Shade.†is OSHA’s annual campaign to drive awareness to working in the summer heat. As an employer or supervisor, it is your responsibility to provide your employees with plenty of water, shaded areas and light-colored clothing. Heat-related illness can lead to sever exhaustion or even a heatstroke.
- Allow time to become acclimated. It is essential to slowly build your team’s workload while working in the heat. It can take the body two weeks to fully acclimatize to a hot working environment. Requiring your employees to take frequent breaks in the shade or in an air-conditioned space (if available) and gradually assigning tasks will ease the transition.
- Maintain and service your A/C unit(s). The best way to guarantee comfort and health in your employees is to make sure your facility’s A/C equipment is functioning in top shape. For commercial equipment, it is wise to call an experienced mechanical service company to check your coils, change your air filters and run diagnostic testing. Scheduling seasonal preventive maintenance can exponentially lengthen the life of your equipment.
By contacting us at Interstate Mechanical Service, we can help you get your facility summer ready. In the midst of these hot and humid summer months, don’t wait until your cooling system breaks down. Be prepared by calling us at 865-602-1428.
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