How to Keep Your Business (And Your Employees) Safe in Extreme Temperatures

marketing planA productive work environment starts with safe working conditions – dealing with extreme heat or cold temperatures is essential to keep your business and employees running well

If you’re a business owner you know that your employees are just as, if not more, important as the company itself. Without your workers, you wouldn’t be able to get anything done, leaving your business to fail.

Keeping your business safe for your employees is key, especially during the summer months. If your workers do a lot of their jobs outside, make sure they always have access to shade. They might be used to the sun beating down on them, but it can actually do a lot of harm in the long run. Sai Global says if the area they’re working in isn’t shaded, invest in portable shading units for each site. Rotate who is working and who is standing in the cooler temps as the days go on.

You should also encourage them to wear appropriate clothing. A broad-brimmed hat is always a good idea as it can cover the face, their ears, and their neck. If your employees are working in a location where they’re going to get bit by bugs or hurt by tools, make sure they’re wearing long pants and long tops. Even though the tops and bottoms are longer than more comfortable shorts and t-shirt, you can find lighter fabrics that will help keep them cool.

Safer Work Environment While Saving Energy

Reducing your energy use in the office will allow you to use it solely for where it’s really needed. For example, instead of wasting all of your energy on lighting, you can put it toward using it for your workplace’s AC unit. To reduce your energy, Dummies says you should take advantage of natural lighting. This means if you don’t need to use light bulbs, don’t. If you do need to use bulbs, consider switching your existing units out for LED lighting. The Department of Energy’s statistics reveal that approximately 22% of all electricity generated in the United States is used for lighting. But by following the above tips you can easily reduce that number.

Your electricity use can also be multi-purpose. For example, if you use an air compressor to pump up tires in your machine shop, that compressor can also be used to create heat in the winter. In fact, as much as 80 to 90% of the electrical energy used by an air compressor is converted to heat. You’re essentially killing two birds with one stone and saving a ton of money in the end.

Even if you think your office’s air quality is fine, it might not be. And if your air quality isn’t good, you’re putting your employees at risk for serious illnesses and injuries. To make sure everything is working properly, Mother Nature Network says you should look into air quality testing. This testing can be done every couple months or so. You can check for gases including radon (the number two cause of lung cancer in the United States), asbestos, and mold and mildew. These gases and air polluters can sit in your walls, your ceilings, or even in your flooring. Take a look at the paint you’ve used on the walls of your office and see what it contains. You don’t have to worry about polyaspartic coatings, though, as they have low to zero VOC. This means that they won’t negatively impact indoor air quality.

Whether you reduce the energy use in your office, keep your employees in the shade, or check for air contaminants, there are ways to keep your business safe. Take the time as a business owner to do these things. You won’t regret it.

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Valerie M.

Contributor at Small Business Marketing Tools
Valerie M. is a writer from Upstate New York. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from The State University of New York at Fredonia in 2016 and is currently working at a digital marketing agency where she writes blog posts for a variety of small businesses all over the country. Valerie enjoys writing about music, animals, nature, and traveling.