When you’re outdoors or sitting on a beach the summer heat is a beautiful thing. If you’re working in a warehouse, however, your emotions might be a little more mixed when it comes to hot temperatures.

 

“Containment is crucial when it comes to controlling the temperature of any warehouse.”

 

The summer heat can cause a lot of problems in a warehouse such as damage to products, extra wear and tear on equipment, increased risk of fire hazards, and the compromising of worker safety.

Warehouse workers are quite active in the first place, constantly moving and lifting. Mix in some extra heat, and heat exhaustion becomes a very serious threat. Not to mention heat can lower productivity all around.

But, with their high ceiling, large doors that are always opening and closing, and active machinery inside, warehouses aren’t the easiest place to control the temperature. So what do you do?

We’ve put together some simple tips and guidance for beating that summer heat and keeping your warehouse cool.

Keeping the Cool Air In and the Hot Air Out
Containment is crucial when it comes to controlling the temperature of any space. After all, there’s a reason your mom would yell at you for leaving that refrigerator door open. With all of the traffic going in and out of warehouses, it’s important you keep doors shut when you can.

For doorways that have to stay open (or are open frequently), strip doors can have a significant impact on keeping out the heat.

Air Conditioning and Air Distribution
For smaller or more enclosed warehouses, air-conditioning is certainly an option. Keep in mind, it’ll take quite a bit more effort to cool a warehouse than it does an office. Your electricity bill is going to go up.

That’s why it’s important to make sure you’re getting the most effective use out of your air conditioning. A lot of that involves air circulation and distribution. For that, you’re going to need some big fans.

HVLS Fans
High-Volume, Low Speed (or HVLS) fans are large ceiling fans that can circulate a lot of air at once. Truthfully, most warehousing isn’t complete without them. By covering a lot of square footage at a relatively low cost, these fans can decrease the temperature by 8 degrees in a space as large as 20,000 square feet.

Always Hydrate
Obviously it’s always important for your workers to stay hydrated, but during the summer, this cannot be overemphasized. Make sure water cold water is easily accessible, and make sure the people in the warehouse are drinking plenty of it.

Water will keep your employees cooler, safer, and more focused on what they’re doing.

Warehouse Management Solutions
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