BEWARE OF DRIPPING SWEAT!
Sweating is the primary way that we cool ourselves off when our temperature starts to get too high.
But if your sweat isn’t evaporating or being wicked away (and is just dripping off of you), then it’s not actually cooling you down. Your body temperature will continue to increase – now much faster – and you won’t be able to work as long.
This is often why working in a hot AND humid environment feels a lot worse than in a hot-dry environment. Aside from being harder to cool your body down, your sweat does not evaporate as well in a humid environment. Sweat begins dripping off of you because the surrounding air molecules simply can’t hold any more water.
Heavy uniforms (like PPE) also prevent sweat from evaporating. Because you are unable to cool down, your body temperature will continue to rise. And, your body temperature will rise at an even faster rate when wearing heavy PPE.
5 Tips to Stay Cool on the Job
- Use an electric fan to stay cool and help the sweat evaporate
- Towel your skin dry as much as possible. Or, consider wiping your sweat off and away from your body. Pooled, or dripping sweat left on your body can actually decrease your sweat rate and cause you to overheat during work!
- Take frequent breaks and seek shade or covered areas.
- If possible, remove any extra clothing/uniform that may be preventing the sweat from evaporating during rest breaks.
- Drink plenty of pure water to replace the sweat (water) you’re losing from your body.
If you’d like the Kenzen team to help train your workforce on the importance of heat safety, schedule an on-site OSHA heat safety training session and gain early access to Kenzen Patch.