by Alex Guzman, on Aug 1, 2025 8:54:56 AM
Mother Nature is a formidable opponent.
Make no mistake. Whether indoors or outdoors, when you work in the heat, you're in a fight for your life. That's why heat safety is crucial for warehouses in Georgia and Florida. Heat exposure causes more than just sweat in the eyes. It's a threat that can endanger your whole team if you're not prepared. To help you do just that, we've assembled a list of the top summer safety tips for warehouse workers.
Read on to learn:
- What heat illness is
- Why it’s so dangerous
- How to protect your team
What Is Heat Illness?
Essentially, heat illness (also known as heat stress) occurs when the body is unable to cool itself effectively.
It's a catch-all term that encompasses a variety of disorders that range from mild to life-threatening. Each of these illnesses is caused by heat exposure without proper precautions. These conditions are:
- Heat cramps. This is the mildest form. This condition causes painful cramps due to loss of fluids and electrolytes.
- Heat exhaustion. This more serious condition occurs as the body’s internal temperature control begins to struggle. It can rapidly lead to heat stroke without treatment.
- Heat stroke. This condition is potentially deadly. The body’s temperature rises to dangerous levels, above 104 degrees.
Simply put, heat stress is about more than being a little toasty at work. It’s a serious condition that puts your whole team at risk whether they work indoors or outdoors.
Despite the severity, many workers and managers don’t understand why heat exposure is so dangerous.
Why Is Heat Exposure So Dangerous?
Your body is a carefully balanced machine.
Every bodily system requires certain conditions to function correctly. Homeostasis is the name of this state, and your body seeks to maintain it through the process of sweating and increased blood circulation near the skin. Hot weather, indoor heat exposure, and high humidity make this far more difficult. When your body is unable to maintain a constant internal temperature, every system struggles. The result can include:
- Brain damage, causing confusion, disorientation, seizures, and coma
- Shock
- Kidney damage
- Muscle breakdown
- Other internal organ damage or failure
Ultimately, if untreated, the body ceases to function, and the worker dies.
Heat Stress Is Dangerous for Your Business
Heat stress also damages your productivity.
An average of 40 workers die from environmental heat exposure every year. Nearly 3,400 workers suffer work-related heat illness severe enough to miss days of work. Losing that much work during peak season results in a tremendous loss of productivity when you need it most.
Plus, those only account for the reported incidents.
Underreporting is a serious issue in tracking heat illnesses. Many workers fail to recognize the symptoms, don't understand that it is a serious condition, or feel uncomfortable reporting for fear of looking weak. The impact of heat stress is likely far greater than these numbers suggest.
The bottom line is heat exposure poses a significant threat to your team’s safety and to your warehouse’s productivity.
Heat Stress Prevention in the Warehouse
Heat illness is a serious threat, but these summer safety tips for warehouse workers will keep your team safer.
Communicate With Your Team
Your associates can’t avoid heat stress if they don’t know what to look for.
Train your team on the dangers of heat exposure and how to avoid them. Post OSHA’s convenient poster on how to prevent, detect, and treat heat-related illnesses in a place where your staff can reference it. This visibility will make your team members more aware and more knowledgeable.
As G.I. Joe always said, knowing is half the battle.
Ease Into Work
New and returning team members need time to acclimatize to the heat.
These workers must take frequent breaks. OSHA suggests following the 20% rule. According to this guideline, acclimatizing staff should work no more than 20% of the shift in the heat on the first day. Each following day, increase the percentage by 20% until the worker can work the whole shift in the heat.
This adjustment period helps the body to better protect itself against heat exposure.
Hydrate
During periods of intense work in high heat, the body can lose up to three liters (0.8 gallons) of water in sweat per hour.
That’s a massive amount of water that must be replaced throughout the day. Still, your body can only absorb so much water at once. OSHA recommends drinking at least one cup of water every 15 minutes, even if you aren’t thirsty.
Dehydration significantly increases your risk of heat stress.
Take Breaks
The body can’t properly cool until you get out of the heat.
Take frequent breaks long enough to recover from the heat and humidity. Find cool or shady areas for these breaks to maximize cooling. For warehouses, a good ventilation system becomes vital. Proper ventilation creates safe areas where associates can go to escape the heat and hydrate.
Ensure your ventilation system is in tip-top shape to protect your team.
Prepare for the Heat
Prevention goes a long way toward fending off heat illnesses.
Workers who labor in the heat should wear light-colored, loose-fitting, and breathable clothing whenever possible. If working outdoors, OSHA recommends wearing a hat and applying sunscreen every two hours. Remember that heat stress is possible even on cloudy days and indoors.
Take these precautions in any hot environment.
Install High-Speed Doors
For hot and humid days, high-speed doors are critical.
High-speed loadi
ng dock doors open and close more rapidly than conventional doors. This prevents significant temperature exchange between the outside and the inside. In other words, it keeps the hot, muggy air out and the cool, refreshing air in. Maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature decreases the risk to your associates.
As an added benefit, it puts less strain on your HVAC system, lowering your summertime electric bill.
Monitor Heat Stress
Regardless of the steps you take to prevent heat-related illnesses, they remain a risk.
Consequently, it becomes every team member's responsibility to monitor their own safety and that of others. Check in with others frequently to ensure they are not experiencing even the early stages of heat illness. The following are signs of a heat stress medical emergency:
- Abnormal thinking or behavior
- Slurred speech
- Seizures
- Loss of consciousness
If you notice any of these, call 911 and cool the worker down with water or ice immediately.
Knock Out Heat Stress
Beat the heat. Don’t let it beat you.
Although heat-related illnesses pose a danger anywhere, workers in warehouses in Georgia and Florida are at a significant risk. The south’s high heat and significant humidity make heat stress even more likely. You must be extra vigilant to protect your staff.
Southern States Toyotalift is here to help.
We can't knock out heat stress entirely, but we can help you acquire the necessary infrastructure to protect your team. From high-speed doors to dock seals, we have the equipment to help maintain a stable environment in your facility. Our warehouse dock and door solutions team has the local expertise you need to beat the heat.
To learn more about how high-speed doors protect your warehouse or to request a quote, contact us online or visit one of our locations throughout Georgia and Florida.
Florida
Jacksonville
Lakeland
Ocala
Orlando
Tampa
Winter Haven
Georgia
Albany
Macon
Columbus
Valdosta
Further Reading
Warehouse Safety Topics: Create a Culture of Safety
5 Ways to Prepare Your Warehouse for Storm Season
Driven to Safety: Loading Dock Safety Essentials
