How Heat Affects Your Operations… And What to do About it.

Ahh, it’s finally here! After a long, cold winter, summer has finally arrived. Now is the time to prepare for rising temperatures.

Heat and humidity conspire to work against you. Warehouses, shop floors, and manufacturing facilities can be difficult environments for workers and stifling heat makes it even harder. Here are how hot days can deeply affect every aspect of your operation:

1. Heat can damage, possibly destroy, inventory. Neglecting climate control, your products could melt, decay or develop mold. And whether it’s because your inventory isn’t in top condition or there are delays in delivery, it means your customers are unsatisfied.
2. Heat threatens employee retention. Like many industries, you are likely confronting a labor shortage and finding it difficult to hire employees. Lowering the working temperature in your facility is one of the most cost-effective ways to keep your people cool, comfortable and satisfied…. while working for you.
3. Heat raises risk of safety incidents. Temperature hazards have no specific OSHA standard, but it can easily fall under the section that requires “employers must provide a workplace free of recognized hazards that may cause injuries and death.” Since there are reasonable ways to prevent or reduce these hazards, your operation may be on the hook if a heat-related incident occurs.
4. Heat increases errors and lowers productivity. Study after study confirms a profound negative effect of rising temperatures has on worker productivity and accuracy. For every degree rise after 77 degrees, productivity drops by 2%. While it may not seem like much, this kind of drop can add up to huge profit loss across the company.

Not all warehouses have the luxury of air-conditioning – the amount of energy needed is too expensive to implement. And in some applications, turning up the A/C isn’t even an option – especially if doors have to remain open to run equipment in and out throughout the day.

What can you do? One simple solution to beating the summer heat is introducing proper air movement. Installing a high-volume, low-speed fan (HVLS), air in a huge space can be turned over several times per hour while consuming little energy. With an HVLS fan, a facility can feel up to 10 degrees cooler, helping your employees stay cool and comfortable.

Remember, we’re here to help. Our product experts can evaluate your operation and provide recommendations to keep your facility working at peak efficiency. Give us a call at 800.856.0931.