Industrial Hydration Guides

Heat stress on the job, and how to read the warning signs

Heat illness builds quietly. By the time someone feels thirsty or stops sweating, the body is already behind. This page is the reference crews and supervisors ask us for most often: what the three heat illnesses look like, how to read the heat index for the day ahead, and the handful of habits that prevent most incidents in the first place.

Everything below is the safety information published by The Sqwincher Corporation for industry and the industrial worker. It is general guidance rather than medical advice, and it does not replace your own site's heat illness prevention plan.

Heat illness indicators

Three conditions, in rough order of severity. The early symptoms overlap, so when in doubt, treat it as the more serious one.

Heat index: the temperature dangers of heat stress

The heat index is the apparent temperature, what the air actually feels like once humidity is taken into account. It is the number worth planning the day around, not the thermometer reading.

How to use the heat index

1. Along the top row, find today's predicted high air temperature.
2. Down the left column, find today's predicted relative humidity.
3. Read across and down to the cell where the two meet. That is the apparent temperature, or what the day will feel like.

One caveat that matters. These values were devised for shady, light wind conditions. Exposure to full sun can raise the apparent temperature by as much as 15 degrees, and strong winds carrying hot, dry air can be extremely hazardous.

Six habits that prevent most heat stress injuries

1. Beware of heat exhaustion, heat cramps or heat stroke when you are involved in strenuous activity in environments of 90° Fahrenheit or above.
2. Take time to let the body adjust to high heat, high humidity environments before exertion begins.
3. Protective clothing and equipment greatly increase the chance of heat stress. In work environments of 81° Fahrenheit or above, experts recommend no employee spend more than 15 minutes of any one hour in an impervious suit, unless cooling has been provided to the suit or the employee is wearing a heat stress monitor.
4. Do not depend on thirst or sweat as an indicator of rising body heat. Thirst is not a dependable gauge, and sweat can evaporate quickly in dry heat. Watch the temperature and humidity instead, and drink fluids with electrolytes at regular intervals.
5. Know the symptoms of heat stroke, heat exhaustion and heat cramps, and respond quickly. The table above is the short version worth memorising.
6. Preventing a heat stress injury is far easier than recovering from one. Stay aware of the environment you are working in and drink fluids with electrolytes steadily through the whole work day.

Keeping electrolytes within reach

Four of the six habits above come down to the same thing: fluids with electrolytes, available where the work is happening, all day rather than at break time. That is the problem our Workforce Hydration Program exists to solve, with scheduled auto-ship so a site does not run dry mid season.

For stocking up directly, the usual starting points are Gatorade instant powder and Sqwincher for volume, single serve packets for crews spread across a site, electrolyte freeze pops for cooling and hydrating at the same time, and zero sugar options where sugar is a concern. For the reasoning behind any of it, start with the importance of electrolytes.

Not sure what a site actually needs? Call us on 866-380-5600 and we will work it out from headcount, shift length and climate.