Don’t Let The Heat Index Get Too High!

Did you know that heat waves kill more Americans than many other natural disasters such as floods, tornadoes and hurricanes? The CDC reports that, on average, 702 heat-related deaths occur every year in the United States. Any business, facility or organization that is responsible for the safety and well-being of their employees should be concerned about environmental conditions such as heat index, to ensure the environment is safe.

What Is Heat Index?

Heat Index is the “feels like” temperature that helps us interpret how the heat and humidity affects how the temperature feels to the human body. The amount of moisture in the air affects the body’s ability to dissipate heat. For example, on a day with high humidity, the “feels like” temperature might be quite a bit warmer than the actual temperature. The Heat Index will reflect the actual condition that your employees are working in.

Keep Heat Index Under Control With Environment Monitoring

Environmental factors such as temperature, humidity and heat index account for 50% of all environment-related downtime. When you install environment monitoring in your facilities, you’re better able to oversee the conditions and therefore prevent and minimize the extent of costly environmental downtime. A high heat index can be extremely dangerous and even deadly to your customers, employees, students, tenants or anyone else in your organization. The best way to manage conditions like heat index and more is with proactive environment monitoring.

Following CDC, EPA, ASHRAE & OSHA Recommendations

As if keeping your employees safe and healthy isn’t enough of a reason to install environment monitoring, many businesses are required to follow guidelines from government agencies and professional associations such as the CDC, EPA, ASHRAE and OSHA. 

The CDC recommends that employers provide training to workers so they understand what heat stress is, how it affects their health and safety, and how it can be prevented. The EPA Worker Protection Standard requires that workers be instructed in the prevention, recognition, and first-aid treatment of heat illness and that they not be allowed or directed to perform handling or early entry activities unless appropriate measures are taken, if necessary, to prevent heat illness. ASHRAE notes that for thermal comfort purposes, temperature should range from approximately 67 degrees Fahrenheit (19 degrees Celsius) to 82 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius). A more specific range can be determined depending on relative humidity, season, clothing worn, activity levels, and other factors. To take the emphasis of worker safety even further, OSHA implemented a nationwide enforcement initiative on heat-related hazards. OSHA will soon be requiring specific standards for hazardous heat conditions, and employers may be mandated to monitor heat index to ensure their employee safety. 

Globally, extreme temperature events are observed to be increasing in their frequency, duration, and magnitude and heat-related death and illnesses are preventable. Right now is the best time to take preventative measures and protect your workers. Room Alert environment monitoring provides the most advanced and secure solution to verify that your employees are working in safe and healthy environments.

Room Alert Can Notify You If The Heat Index Gets Too High

Take a moment to think about the temperature and humidity of your employees’ work conditions. At just 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26 degrees Celsius), fatigue is possible with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity. At 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius), heat stroke, heat cramps, or heat exhaustion is possible with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity. Temperatures of 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius) or higher increase the likelihood of heat-related injury. 

By installing Room Alert, you can stay in the know about heat index and worker safety. Room Alert will promptly notify you and your team via text or email if the conditions of your environment become potentially dangerous. For example you can set up a Digital Temperature & Humidity Sensor in your facility, which has a special enclosure cap to promote increased air circulation that results in fast and accurate readings of the conditions in your environment. Then you can configure your Room Alert Account to notify you of any changes in your environment so that you stay compliant with any worker safety regulations that you need to follow. 

With thousands of active Room Alert users across over 185 countries, you can have confidence in knowing that Room Alert is protecting your people, assets, facilities and reputation!

Contact Us

If you have any questions about monitoring heat index with Room Alert, please contact us today through email at Sales@AVTECH.com, through our online Live Chat service, or via phone 401.628.1600.  

You can also visit our YouTube Channel and read our articles here to learn many other reasons why you need Proactive Environment Monitoring with Room Alert.