For a few days we have been living in the whole Mexican republic an intense heat wave for which several cities have reached temperatures up to 40 degrees. These high temperatures can generate what is called thermal stress and if there is no prevention at work they can lead to very serious considerations.
He heat stress It is a state of discomfort, discomfort or annoyance that occurs when there is an excessive accumulation or loss of heat, which can cause poor work performance and can bring serious conditions for the employee.
It must be remembered that the body is designed to work with temperatures around 37 degrees, the same happens with the brain. Beyond this, there begins to be tired and a series of chemical reactions develop in the brain that are related to a bad mood in general, such as irritability, aggressiveness, apathy and impulsivity.
When the body is at higher temperatures, the brain sends the signal to the body to work less, and seeks to restore normal temperature, this causes muscle spasms, exhaustion and heat stroke.
Taking all this into account, it is normal for productivity to be diminished, especially in workers who have to be outdoors, or who carry out their activity outside the office, making important transfers.
Symptoms of a body affected by heat stress
Some symptoms that the body experiences in the face of intense heat are:
- Dehydration (intense thirst)
- Dry mouth
- cramps
- dizziness
- Fainting
- Exhaustion
- Muscular weakness
- Headache
- excessive sweating
- nausea and vomiting
To avoid thermal stress, prevention at work is necessary. It begins with evaluating the work area and the conditions in which your employees carry out their tasks, avoiding: strenuous work under the sun’s rays, a closed environment without ventilation inside the office or business, not having a nearby source of hydration, thick or excessive clothing, to name a few.
How to avoid heat stress?
Among the measures that you can implement to prevent heat stress and your employees from suffering the ravages of the heat wave that is being experienced are:
- Verify that the air conditioning devices work properly, otherwise if you lack them, the acquisition of fans that cool the work area will be useful.
- The use of light clothing and light colors.
- The use of a cap, sunscreen and UV filter glasses for employees who have to work outdoors.
- Avoid strenuous tasks around noon, for example, if it is necessary to download material, it is better to do it in the morning, very early or after 5 in the afternoon.
- Avoid extreme work and intense activity, limiting physical effort.
- If it is necessary to carry out activities during the hottest hours, schedule breaks, rotations and solidarity work.
- Have sources of hydration for staff consumption, drinks with salts and sugars and isotonic.
- Avoid overexposure to heat.
- Launch an information campaign on the risks of prolonged exposure to the sun.
Take into account that if the work area, business or office are not comfortable, you run the risk of your employees suffering from thermal stress, but also that your clients will not come to you, thus generating not only a decrease in productivity but also a significant drop in your sales.