With the temperatures creeping up slowly for Summer it’s important to keep your warehouse cool and your staff happy by regulating the temperature. A thermal comfort test should always be carried out as part of your overall risk assessment – you can find more information on temperatures in the workplace by visiting the HSE website.
We’ve got a few tips for you on how to keep your warehouse cool and running efficiently during the coming summer months:
- Get the fans installed! Great for circulating air, we recommend high volume/low-speed fans as they are super effective for covering large chunks of square footage.
- For high activity areas such as packing stations make sure you use portable industrial fans, a great solution for hot workers!
- Removing moisture from the air has a cooling effect – using a good dehumidifier will help with the temperature of your environment
- Try and keep machinery running efficiently. Hot engines and conveyor belt friction will increase the temperature in your warehouse
- Make sure your warehouse walls and ceilings are properly insulated
- To stop hot air moving from one location to another within your warehouse use vinyl strip curtains
- If budget allows, install a cool roof, not only does it help with internal temperatures, it will also reduce future energy costs for cooling and has a longer life than standard roofs.
- Keep dock doors sealed and use truck shelters to keep the outdoor heat out.
- Turn up the air-con! Yes, it might be costly to run but safety and productivity should be your main priority – over heating staff will be less productive and could lead to an accident.
Don’t forget, you can always treat the staff to ice-creams to cool down if temperatures get too high!
Happy summer all, keep your warehouse cool and safe for your workers.
