Since 2007, the U.S. has seen the highest number of workplace deaths, according to the National Safety Council – 5,333 fatal injuries occurred in workplaces in 2019 alone.

With workers steadily moving back into shops and offices around the country, now is a great time to make sure you have proper safety standards in place so you can avoid adding to that statistic.

And this June just so happened to be the 25th annual National Safety Month. The NSC did a great job of breaking down some useful tips into weekly topics, like prevention measures, pandemic concerns, and psychological safety – which can all be found for download on their site.

Aside from all the wonderful exceptions the past year has brought us, workplace safety should always be a top priority for your company. Ideally, your standards and practices should be very dynamic, but that doesn’t mean that general plans and schedules can’t be decided ahead of time.

One way to stay on top of it is to re-establish your safety standard specifics with every seasonal change, about 4 times a year. It’s an especially good practice for manufacturers and shops since weather changes can drastically effect production in all sorts of ways.

Since this week brought with it the official summer solstice, it’s the perfect opportunity to go over you heat-related safety plans.

While there are many components to remaining safe throughout the workplace with rising temperatures, there are three main things we look out for at MBC:

  • Fatigue – Higher temps means everything takes more energy. It’s easy to fall into fatigue without even realizing it.

Staying hydrated will go a long way in helping your body hold onto its power. A midday salty snack to replenish what was lost through sweat is also a great idea.

  • Dehydration – While the physical signs of dehydration are usually a little more obvious to spot, it’s also one of the slyest safety issues that will sneak up on you the second it can.

Drinking water literally cannot be stressed enough during the hot summer months. Ideally, if you are in constant physical activity, like working in a shop, your goal should be one cup every 15-20 minutes.

  • Other Heat-Related Illnesses – The list is endless but some common issues to watch out for that come with the summertime can include rashes, cramps, exhaustion, and possibly heat stroke.

The best way to handle any of these is to have preventative measures in play ahead of time that train employees on recognition and reaction to these instances. Since it isn’t necessarily common to look at your own physical body, watching out for signs of these on coworkers is extremely important. Lastly, though it may seem inconsequential, wearing light-colored, loose-fitting, breathable materials like cotton whenever able makes a huge difference in your body’s ability to regulate itself.

We know this isn’t everything. And every business has its own unique quirks that will take their own precise and specific plans. But hopefully this can give you a kick-start in the right direction to create a safer, friendlier environment that all your employees can feel comfortable showing up to every day.