Seasonal changes in temperature can not be controlled, yet it is a given that the summer months will bring extreme temperatures. This presents numerous concerns for facility managers.
Facility performance under the duress of extreme heat can be successfully managed by ensuring employee safety, focusing on air intake through AC units, and providing air circulation via rotating fans – both stationary and movable.
When workers are subjected to temperatures in excess of 95 degrees, a condition known as heat stress becomes imminent. This is when the body’s response to temperature prompts it to begin sweating in an effort to cool itself.
Facilities equipped with air conditioning systems can be well cooled during the summer months as long as there is efficient circulation.
Heat depletes human performance, but it also causes molecules to expand. This means that the surface areas on moving machine parts that constantly come in contact with one another are increased, and with that comes greater friction and ever-increasing temperatures.
This Quick Read was submitted by Ryan Berlin, managing editor of Facility Maintenance Decisions, ryan.berlin@tradepressmedia.com. Read more about how to keep buildings cool with air conditioning and heat-illness prevention.
