Working in a heatwave: Keeping your employees safe

There is nothing quite like a British heatwave - but ensuring you stay safe as temperatures soar takes more than just a decent sunscreen. You have a duty of care to ensure the safety of your staff, and effective facilities management can help. 

We share a few tips for keeping your employees safe and well during a heatwave. 

USE NATURAL AIR IN A HEATWAVE

Though air conditioning can be a fan favourite in heatwaves, natural or fresh air ventilation should be used wherever possible. Natural air ventilation can be achieved simply by opening a window or, if your air conditioning system is fitted (or can be retrofitted) with a fresh air supply, selecting fresh air rather than recirculation. This will reduce the infection rate in highly populated spaces and limit the spread of transmissible infections.

ENSURE YOUR AIR CONDITIONING IS CLEAN 

If you have air conditioning or ducted air handling, it must be regularly cleaned and serviced to ensure it works optimally. This is true both in terms of energy efficiency and the reduction of pollen, dust, and bacteria in the air. 

PAT TEST YOUR FANS AND COOLING TOWERS 

As the temperature rises, desk fans and cooling towers suddenly appear across offices and public spaces. But be careful if you use cooling or tower fans in your workplace—make sure they are PAT tested, avoid daisy-chaining the plugs, and check for trip hazards from trailing wires. 

CHECK-IN ON YOUR TEAM WITH OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH SCREENING 

A robust occupational health screening programme will help you identify potential risk factors in your workforce. Some vulnerable workers might need reasonable adjustments or be more likely to require additional support in extreme heat. Occupational health screening is a proactive way of identifying risks, helping signpost your employees to pathways for extra help and reducing absenteeism. 

NO TWO PEOPLE ARE THE SAME 

Everyone reacts to heat differently, and your employees should be trained to recognise the symptoms of heat illness. Regular occupational health surveillance or an effective employee wellbeing programme is a great platform to help you get the message across. 

ENSURE YOUR ELECTRICS HAVE AN UP-TO-DATE - AND SATISFACTORY - EICR 

Overheating cables can be a risk in extreme heat; when it's very hot, cables cannot carry their current capacity and subsequently become a greater fire risk. Ensuring you have a regular EICR with correct cabling identification will inform you of any potential for overloading. For any remedial advice, please call our electrical team. 

Need help in the heatwave and beyond? Our team are here to help. To find out more information on anything we have discussed in this article, contact risksolutions@skaltd.co.uk