The dog days of summer are upon us, and in the South the humidity levels make it feel even hotter than the temperature gauge says. During this time, it is critical to maintain your air conditioner’s working capabilities, especially if you own your own business. Happier employees are more productive employees, and nothing drains happiness (and energy and willpower and hope for humanity) like oppressive heat.
This is not just a matter of productivity, however, but basic humanity. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends maintaining a workplace temperature between 68 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit with a 20-60% level of humidity. Obviously, that is not a real possibility for some work environments, but it is a baseline to consider. OSHA also provides a series of suggestions and protocols to deal with high temperatures at work. Risk levels are tiered from Lower (90 or below) to Very High or Extreme (anything over 115) with a range of appropriate precautions at each tier.
The Center for Disease Control has warned that workers required to operate in intense heat can develop “heat stress” leading to rashes, burns, heat exhaustion, cramps, and heat stroke, all of this being especially true in individuals who are elderly or overweight.
Heat stress can also exacerbate health problems that people already have, leading to attacks that might not have occured. Additional problems arising from overly hot work environments, such as sweat-blurred vision, slippery hands, or light-headedness, may cause employees to endanger themselves and their coworkers.
In 2015, over 2000 people were injured because of heat stress at while at work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Don’t let your business become another discouraging number on a chart. Don’t hesitate when it comes to making sure you operate a safe environment for all of your employees. Make sure that your business’s air conditioning system is top of the line, fully functional, and well kept.
Contact Harbin Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. to ask about our 60-month/zero-interest specials, available on qualifying, high efficiency systems. Our office is located at 5910 Tennessee 57 in Counce, TN, and you can reach us by calling 731-689-3651 or via our website, www.harbinair.com.
