A cool warehouse isn’t just a perk for your employees. It’s necessary to protect their health and safety.
A hot warehouse can be deadly. The inside of a warehouse can reach 120°F or more in the summer. Humans can start to suffer from heat exhaustion at 90°F. If the temperature reaches 105°F, your employees can get heatstroke.
Learn more about protecting your workers from heatstroke.
Protecting your employees and cooling your warehouse doesn’t have to be difficult. Learn how to cool your warehouse with these seven tips.
High-Volume/Low-Speed (HVLS) fans are great for cooling large areas. They can help lower temperatures by up to 7°F. Because they are not spinning quickly, they are less likely to create an uncomfortable or distracting breezy effect.
As important as they are, HVLS fans typically won’t provide immediate relief to overheated employees. They will slowly lower the temperature of your warehouse over several hours.
If your warehouse has workstations, placing a small portable fan at each one can help keep your team cool. Unlike HVLS fans, small fans produce direct streams of air and can provide immediate relief to overheated employees.
Small air conditioners are great for spot-cooling part of your warehouse. Portable AC units can be rented and used on an “as needed” basis, so they’re a more cost-effective option than operating full-building systems.
Want to add a portable AC unit to your warehouse? Contact Hugg & Hall Utility Services for more information!
Dehumidifiers are great for humid climates. They take moisture out of the air, making it feel cooler and causing less discomfort. The drier the air, the faster a person’s body can cool off through sweating.
As a bonus, dehumidifiers can even protect your product and machines from excess moisture.
However, if your warehouse is in a dry climate, you should not use a dehumidifier. It can take too much moisture out of the air and cause discomfort.
If your warehouse would benefit from a dehumidifier, Hugg & Hall Utility Services can help!
Motors and engines produce small amounts of heat. When you’re battling summer temps, even tiny amounts of heat output make a difference.
Maintaining your machines can ensure they’re producing as little heat as possible. It’s a small way to help drop the overall temperature.
If you’ve worked hard to cool your warehouse, you don’t want to lose that cool air. Truck shelters are used in shipping and receiving areas. They create a seal between trucks and warehouse walls, keeping hot air from coming into your warehouse.
Aside from installing a full AC system, the most labor- and cost-intensive way to cool your warehouse is to install a cool roof. These roofs are white, which helps reflect incoming heat away from your warehouse. Traditional, dark-colored roofs absorb heat and transfer it to the inside of the building.
Cool roofs can be expensive, so they are usually only feasible when the roof already needs to be replaced. However, despite their initial cost, they can actually end up saving you money. Cool roofs reduce your energy costs over time.
Even if your warehouse doesn’t have AC, there are ways to help keep it cool. These tips can help lower the overall temperature, protect your employees, and make a safer work environment overall.
Work in a warehouse? We want to hear from you! How does your team keep your warehouse cool during summer?
Visit our blog and learn more about summer heat and how it affects your warehouse or jobsite!