He who holds the remote is the one that is in control! This is so true in any shared airconditioned office environment.
I know that this constantly leads to animosity and bad relations in many an office. Too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter is the normal complaint.
What is a comfortable temperature to work in?
In 1987, the World Health Organization determined that a comfortable and healthy indoor temperature was between 18 and 24 °C.
That is in line with what I was taught, which was that room temperature was considered at 21.6 ºC.
Being in a single office, which I am told feels like a fridge, 20°C is great for the summer and 22ºC for the winter.
When it comes to outdoor and strenuous outdoor activity there are certain rules and regulations that govern the safety of the worker.
Here it becomes a question of health and safety and not comfort, as a reader (Allan) pointed out last week.
Factory workers, firefighters, miners, construction workers, athletes, and agricultural workers are a few that immediately spring to mind.
Exposure to extreme heat can result in occupational illnesses and injuries in the form of heat stress.
This can result in heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, or heat rashes over the short term and even kidney complications in the long term.
There are numerous cases of prolonged exposure to heat that were fatal.
Besides farm labourers succumbing in the Upington region last year, I recall a very interesting case of a TLB operator dying due to heat stress.
This happened when he was working in the enclosed cab at a temperature of 42°C.
Additionally, headaches, dizziness, weakness, irritability, and excessive sweating (sweaty palms) can lead to the increased risk of work-related injuries.
The Discomfort Index is a formula combining temperature and humidity, yielding a Fahrenheit equivalent temperate ranging from 80 F to 110 F+. In Celsius that us 26 to 43°C+.
This is not the air temperature but the temperature that the human body feels.
Thus, the air temperature can be much lower than the apparent temperature.
Conditions between 100 and 110 on the scale (38 to 43°C) require that school sport and hard labour should cease.
At a level above 110 (43°C plus) conditions become “Hazardous to health” and all outdoor activity should cease.
As a yardstick, precautions should be taken at temperatures that approach the 40°C level, no matter what the humidity.
When these levels are expected, the South African Weather Service will send out official warnings, which employees must legally abide by.
If you are subjected to heatstroke, go to a shaded cool area, remove restrictive clothing, lay flat on your back, take a cool shower, place a wet face cloth on the head or chest and drink 1 liter of liquid with electrolytes per hour.
In extreme cases, put ice packs under the armpits and behind the neck.
This week in history:2011 : 9 Killed as a secondary result of dense fog in the Plettenberg Bay region.
Weather Safety Tips: Drinking as much water as possible is the best preventative measure for any heat related problems. Besides it’s the best thing to lose weight.
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