There are certain parts of a factory that get hot and no amount of air conditioning seems to help. Employees often need to work in rooms that have oven, steam pipes, or other heat process equipment. In the summer it can get well over 100F (38C) in some areas, which makes for very uncomfortable and dangerous working conditions in a facility.
We’ve been in factories where they had to keep a large supply of sports drinks with electrolytes on hand to keep employees hydrated working near a large oven. The oven put off so much heat that the entire room was just plain hot.
There are also often metal buildings used for warehouses, machine shops, and other uses, and if not insulated properly metal buildings can get very hot during the summer months.
Health hazards when staff are working in hot conditions include heat exhaustion and heat stroke. According to OSHA, thousands of workers become sick from occupational heat exposure every year, and some even die. But these illnesses and deaths are preventable.
There are a number of ways that heat-related illness can be prevented:
- Engineering controls, such as air conditioning and ventilation
- Insulating equipment that is generating heat into the environment
- Insulating buildings, both those that do and do not have air conditioning
- Work practices that include work/rest cycles and hydration
- Knowing the symptoms of heat-related illnesses and being prepared to act
Syneffex™ Thermal Insulation Coatings Keep Heat Inside Your Equipment
One national manufacturer of thread and yarn came to us for help with a global sustainability project. They were insulating hundreds of yarn dyeing machines to save energy and reduce their carbon footprint around the world. But they had another important goal for their insulation project.
They wanted to reduce heat-related worker illness and improve the working conditions in their dye houses to keep their employees happier, healthier, and more productive.
Syneffex™ Solution for Hot Factory Conditions
Our Nansulate™ EPX-H2O insulation coating was used to insulate dyeing machines in 38 factories around the world, reducing their overall energy costs by over 10%, lowering their carbon footprint, and “significantly improving the working conditions” in their dye houses.
Keeping Buildings Cooler By Solving Heat Related Issues
Another manufacturer came to us with a metal wall related problem. On one side of a long metal wall in their building were six industrial ovens, throwing off a lot of heat. On the other side was a main mezzanine where people worked. Heat was pouring through the metal wall making the mezzanine area extremely hot.
Cooler Buildings with Cool Coatings
They used 3 coats of our Translucent PT coating to reduce the heat radiating into the office area and measured a surface temperature reduction on the wall from 103.8F (39.9C) to 76.6F (24.8C). Problem solved!
Insulate Hot Surfaces with Syneffex™ Coatings Now
It may be spring now, but the hot summer weather is right around the corner. Do you have areas that are an occupational heat exposure risk? Give us a call at 800-858-3176 and we’ll help you with a solution to keep your working areas cooler this summer.
