Relieve Heat Stress with HVLS Fans

Hidden Costs of Heat Stress

Comfort isn’t the only thing sacrificed when employees experience heat stress. Fogged-up safety glasses, sweaty palms, dizziness and reduced mental capacity resulting from heat stress can all lead to accidents on the job with potentially tragic consequences. Studies prove that losses add up when workers experience heat stress. 

 

OSHA Standards 

OSHA’s general duty clause states that an employer has the obligation to provide a workplace free of hazardous conditions that are likely to cause death or serious physical harm; this includes heat-related hazards. 

What Helps Prevent Heat Stress? 

Environmental factors can be adjusted to help the human body maintain a normal temperature and control heat stress. For indoor work environments, one recommendation from OSHA is to increase ventilation and use fans to increase the air speed over workers.   

How Do HVLS Fans Lower the Effective Temperature? 

An air speed of two to three miles per hour creates an evaporative cooling sensation of 7°F to 11°F. A warehouse with an effective temperature of 84°F can be dropped to 73°F by adding HVLS fans. This cooling effect can increase worker productivity by 35%. 

HVLS fans can help prevent heat stress and create a safer working environment. The additional benefits of providing a safe and comfortable work environment include increased productivity, reduced costs, reduced employee turnover, and improved employee morale. roviding a safe and comfortable work environment include increased productivity, reduced costs, reduced employee turnover, and improved employee morale.

Our fan experts can help you identify and
reduce factors that lead to heat stress.

  

Sources:
OSHA/NIOSH Heat Stress Info Sheet
OSHA Safety Pays
EHS Today, June 2010