If you live on planet earth, then you know that the summer brings extreme heat. It’s not as bad for people whose jobs don’t put them in a situation where they experience the heat in all its extremities but for people who have to work in warehouses, staying cool has never been more important.
For a warehouse to be as comfortable as possible, it needs to have a great HVAC system[1], for periods of heat and winter. Without this consideration, the employees will have an incredibly hard time navigating their duties.
There are ways to make sure that you and your employees stay cool working in a hot warehouse. This is will ensure you can carry out your duties in relative comfort.
7 Ways To Stay Cool Working In A Hot Warehouse
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Change Your Dress Code Policy
A change in weather will always call for a change in dress code, and this should be no different. If possible, and if you are insistent that your employees always dress the same on the job, you can have uniforms explicitly made to combat the heat—uniforms made of light and breathable materials to keep your employees cool while they work.
If this option is not available to you, you can ask your employees to wear lighter clothes to work. Of course, this change in the dress code should not be at the risk of safety. Your employees should still keep in mind that they cannot wear long or flowing pants that can get caught in a machine. Shorts and short sleeves are perfect for the heat.
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Provide Water
You can create a station specifically for you and your employees to get water when they need to. Not just for your employees but also for visitors who will come to the warehouse. Water will keep them hydrated and cool.
You can also advise your employees to come to work with spray bottles or have that available at the warehouse if you can. They can fill the bottles with cold water and spray it on their skin whenever they get hot.
There is also the option of cold water in buckets. Your employees can keep them close to their work stations, allowing them to dip their heads or splash their bodies with the cold water whenever they get too hot.
Remember that a lack of water leads to dehydration and dehydration brings on fainting or dizziness. The last thing you want is an employee fainting next to heavy or dangerous machinery.
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Cooling Vests
If you work in a warehouse, then it’s wise that you invest in a cooling vest. It’s not extreme, not when you have to deal with the heat every summer. A cooling vest comes with ice blocks in their pockets, so you essentially have ice blocks attached to your body to keep you cool. Ice blocks melt, so of course, you’d need to refreeze them whenever this happens.
A cooling vest is particularly great if the HVAC system in your warehouse is not what it should be.
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Control the Temperature
You can do this by making sure the doors to the warehouse are closed when they are not in use. The point of this to keep all open spaces closed so that the warehouse doesn’t lose cool air to the heat. You can also open windows, but you should only do this if you are sure that it will increase the flow of cool breeze into the warehouse. If this is not the case, you’d be letting in the heat.
Another option is to install screen doors; screen doors are better than just leaving a door or window open. With screen doors, you can increase the airflow. Also, with the door open, there is always the possibility of random and non-employees walking into the warehouse. A screen door will make sure that this doesn’t happen.
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Watch Your Diet
Although they are oh-so-tasty, the hot season is no time for fried or fatty meals, especially not when you are at work. They will make you feel heavy. Go for light meals that contain fruits and vegetables to keep your body light and healthy. No one says you have to become a vegetarian; you just need to tone down the fatty and heavy meals to give your body the chance to digest them.
Furthermore, fruits and vegetables contain water in them, so besides keeping your body light, they will keep you hydrated. Get fruits like watermelons, cucumbers, apricots, pineapples, peaches, plums, and oranges; they are rich in nutrients and full of water.
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Take Breaks and Rest
You can use these breaks to get rehydrated. You can also spend your break in a cool atmosphere to cool your body temperature down. There is always going to be the temptation to work for long, probably because you want to get more work done, or maybe because taking breaks makes you feel idle and lazy.
However, the truth is when you don’t take breaks, you put your health at risk. The heat is no time to work for long and exhausting hours; this is because your body loses more liquid than it would on a not-so-hot day, thereby making you feel drained and twice as exhausted.
But, if you take your break, spend it in a cool place while you eat a healthy meal and get rehydrated, you will come back to work stronger, lighter, and better, and your health will be better for it.
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Cool Your Warehouse
The natural thought here would be to go for air conditioners. However, an air conditioner may not do the trick, especially if your warehouse is a large one.
The appropriate equipment here are fans; specifically high volume and low-speed fans. These fans are perfect because they will cool warehouses with large amounts of square footage and they are much cheaper than air conditioners. These fans can be placed in low-level or mid-level spaces; the important thing is that they are not placed near places where hair or clothing can get caught in it. Basically, install them far away from traffic.
You can also consider getting industrial fans, specifically for spaces filled with lots of workers and lots of heavy-duty machinery. The advantage of using industrial fans is that some of them come with wheels, so you have the option of moving them to spaces that need air more than others.
Final Thoughts
In addition to these, you must train your employees to watch out for signs of dehydration and other heat-related illnesses while working in a hot warehouse. Your employees should be adequately trained on the dangers of ignoring or overlooking these signs.
They should be aware that heat can lead to discomforts that can cause accidents in the warehouse, accidents that can be avoided. Also, heat discomfort can affect productivity and increase mistakes.
Furthermore, there should be mandated breaks, one that ensures that employees get the rest they deserve. Employees should also be advised to drink water every 15 to 20 minutes.
Another very important thing to consider is that not all employees are the same. Some are more heat-resistant than others, and some may have certain illnesses that will require them to take more breaks and work less. Allow each employee to face the heat in the manner and length that they feel most comfortable in, essentially when it comes to this, do not generalize. Treat each employee according to their heat-resistant levels.
Lastly, employees who have been away from work due to vacation or any other reason should be allowed to acclimate slowly.
Glossary
[1] HVAC System – Link
