Hot working conditions result in significant medical costs for businesses and employees

Your teams are checking machines and equipment for any type of buildup. Is anyone checking your warehouses for heat buildup?

In the summer months, these facilities store heat, thanks to their high ceilings and limited insulation. This heat buildup not only increases your electricity bill but also creates unsafe working conditions.

To protect your teams, we’ve put together this guide on reducing operating costs and lowering medical expenses for heat-related incidents.  

How Harmful Are Hot Working Conditions? 

On average, hot working conditions account for 33 fatalities and over 3,000 injuries and illnesses in the United States per year. 

The devastating impact on your injured workers and their families is truly unquantifiable. In addition to the emotional toll of dealing with a heat injury or death, there are also devastating financial consequences – for your business as well as your injured employees and their families. 

How does heat hurt your bottom line? 

Heat lowers employee productivity 

Hot working conditions decrease productivity — by as much as 4% for every degree in temperature rise above 80°F. If heat build-up creates hot spots on your upper floors or by open bay doors, costs add up fast. An 85°F area could tank productivity by 20%.  

Heat-related injuries trigger medical and legal costs 

On average, businesses spend $53,589 per heat-related incident on medical and legal expenses. If there is a judgment against your business in a lawsuit filed in association with the incident, these costs will rise drastically.

If you provide workers’ compensation benefits to your employees, your premiums are also likely to increase if there are numerous claims filed by workers suffering heat-related injuries. 

How much is a heat injury going to cost my business?  

You can use OSHA’s online estimation tool to calculate the financial impact of a heat-related injury on your business. This tool factors your profit margin, the average costs of a heat-related injury and an indirect cost multiplier to predict the amount of sales you’d need to generate to cover the expenses associated with the injury.

When entering information into the tool, select “Heat Prostration” from the “Injury Type” dropdown menu to see costs specifically associated with heat-related injuries. 

Employees Pay Higher Costs for Heat Injuries  

Heat-related illness costs victims a combined total of $1billion in healthcare expenses every summer. Employees who suffer a heat-related injury face costly medical bills, even when they have insurance. If they’re uninsured, the costs are even more staggering. This is especially true since heat-related workplace injuries disproportionately impact low-income workers. The lowest paid 20% of US workers suffer 5 times as many heat-related injuries on the job as the highest paid 20%.  

In addition to medical fees and lost wages, workers might face significant changes like temporary or long-term disability. This makes it more challenging for them to find work in the future and may require them to change their career, which adds additional expenses in training. 

Tackle Heat Illness and Costs with Evaporative Cooling 

Fortunately, heat illness is preventable. With an effective heat illness prevention plan, you can protect your workers and your business from the financial and emotional costs of hot working conditions. 

OSHA recommends that indoor environments stay within 68-76° F. Often, traditional cooling systems are too impractical or expensive to effectively cool your warehouse and keep workers safe from heat injury. Air conditioning can’t reach those heat sinks that form near hot machinery, open bay doors, or upper floors. Fans circulate air but don’t cool it. 

Meanwhile, portable evaporative coolers work anywhere your workers work. They provide climate control precisely where you need it most, at a fraction of the hassle and cost. A Portacool evaporative cooler can lower surrounding temperatures by as much as 30°F, for as little as $1 a day in energy costs.   

Portacool Protects Workers from Extreme Heat 

Mauser, the largest steel drum-making facility in America, needed to protect employees from the Texas heat. When the inside temperature of their warehouse wouldn’t drop below 100°F, they turned to Portacool.  

“We rely on our Portacool evaporative coolers to help make a very hot environment comfortable for our employees,” says Mark, the Mauser Metal Division Plant Manager. “That’s important because their health and safety is a big priority for us.”  

Mauser has purchased 15 Portacools over the years to target hot spots in their facility. Some Portacools stand near load-lids and hot machinery, cooling the surrounding area. Most of the Portacools hover by workers, providing personal cooling throughout the day.   

Prevent Heat-Related Injuries with Portacool 

Manufacturers have trusted Portacool since 1990. As an industry leader, we develop innovative technology to keep workers safe and empower businesses—all while keeping costs low.

With a wide range of product lines, we have the ability to provide the right cooling solution for your specific application.  

Don’t let heat drive up your medical or operating costs this summer. Evaporative cooling is an effective, economical solution to protect your business. Use our interactive tool to find the right Portacool for your facility. Visit a local retailer or contact us directly for large bulk orders.