7 Ways to Cool Your Warehouse During a Hot Summer
Keep Your Warehouse Cool and Productive This Summer
Keep Your Warehouse Cool and Productive This Summer
With summertime in the UK becoming increasingly warmer, keeping the workplace cool to increase productivity and reduce the risk of accidents has become more important than ever.
To help you combat heat and keep your warehouse productive, we’re sharing with our top tips for keeping your warehouse and your workforce cool this summer.
Switch Off Unessential Tech When Not In Use
Almost all machinery and electronics output some form of heat, from small electrical equipment such as computers, printers and lights to large machinery such as conveyor belts. A simple and practical way of keeping the temperature down in your warehouse is to ensure these devices are switched off overnight or when not in use.
Additionally, ensure that all your machinery is regularly inspected as per manufacturer guidelines to ensure all aspects of the machine’s cooling system are functioning as intended.
Install An Air Conditioning or Ventilation Unit
Installing an industrial warehouse air conditioning unit ensures a constant comfortable temperature for your employees. Whilst it’s a bigger investment than the other items on this list, improved technology has made new air conditioning units very energy efficient meaning running costs are much lower.
At BSE UK, we supply, install and maintain air conditioning and ventilation units ranging from small heat recovery systems to industrial air handling systems – call us today on 0117 955 5211 for more information.
Keep Workers Hydrated
Providing adequate water sources is one of the easiest and most cost effective ways of keeping employees cool and productive – with a study by the University of East London calculating that a person’s productivity can go up by 14% when properly hydrated.
Not only can getting enough h20 improve productivity, but properly hydrated employees are less likely to make mistakes through fatigue or dizziness, reducing the risk of any accidents occurring within the warehouse, this is particularly important where workers are operating heavy machinery.
If you’re employees complain about any of the following, it could be a sign that dehydration has struck:
- Tired and sleepy.
- Headaches
- Dizziness or light-headedness.
- Dry mouth, lips and eyes.
Review Your Dress Code
Whilst most warehouses have some form of informal dress code, there are not always variations for summer. To keep your staff cool and happy, you may consider implementing a summer dress code for both men and women including shorts, lighter t-shirts and even a hat and sunnies if appropriate; just remember that any dress code should conform to minimum PPE requirements dependant on the workers role. For example, you cannot replace steel toe capped boots for flipflops!
Keep Things Light and Bright
Roof materials can become extremely hot, with black roofs hitting up to 80c in summer. This heat will transfer into the warehouse and can put any ventilation or AC unit you have in place under serious strain.
With this in mind, have you ever wondered why there are so many warehouses in white or other bright colours? As a reflector of heat, painting exterior walls, roofs and interior spaces in a bright colour such as white can really help in keeping the temperature down in summer months.
This method is so effective that it’s been used on roads in Los Angeles, with white roads being up to 5.55c cooler than their black counterparts.
Cover Outdoor Areas
If you have an outdoor terrace, storage or smoking area, make sure it’s covered. Installing a tarpaulin or permanent roof over these areas not only protects employees from heat and sunburn, but can be useful in ensuring that any stock stored there does not melt, warp or become otherwise damaged by the heat.
Stay Cool This Summer with BSE UK
We hope you found this article useful, we’d love to hear of any other methods you use to keep your warehouse and employees cool throughout the summer months.
If you’d like to talk to us about our air conditioning and air ventilation units, or any of our space saving products; give us a call today on 0117 955 5211 or fill out a contact form and we’ll get back to you.
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