Hydration and Safety: The Key to Preventing Fatigue in Warehouse Workforces
When someone is fatigued, the advice is usually the same: get more sleep. We closely link fatigue to sleep, and while they are obviously related, other causes should also be considered.
Hydration is a big one. Poor hydration can cause people to feel tired and worn out, especially in a demanding work environment like a warehouse. It’s essential to maintain adequate hydration levels, along with getting sufficient sleep, to feel fresh from the start of a shift through to the end.
Giving your warehouse workers the hydration choices they need is one of your biggest responsibilities as a business owner or manager. To make it easy, get in touch with the InReach team to explore the many water service possibilities that could work for your facility. We can’t wait to get started!
Dehydration Leads to Fatigue and More
To understand the importance of hydration, we can look at its opposite: dehydration. There is nothing good to say about what dehydration does to the human body, as it’s bad news all the way across the board. According to the Cleveland Clinic, dehydration in adults is not only connected to fatigue but also headaches, dizziness, a high heart rate, muscle cramps, and many other issues.
It’s also surprisingly easy to become dehydrated. Going without water for even a few hours while working hard can cause dehydration symptoms to arise. Even if a worker starts a shift well-hydrated, they could be feeling some effects of mild dehydration by the time the day is done if they don’t have access to a water delivery service or other beverages along the way.
A Concerning Safety Issue
As dehydration sets in, it’s likely that worker performance will begin to decline. That could impact productivity, but more importantly, it could impact safety. Reaction times will slow down when someone is dehydrated, and people are more likely to make poor decisions. In an environment featuring large and potentially dangerous pieces of equipment, that’s a recipe for a disastrous outcome.
Accessibility Is the Key
Fortunately, avoiding all of these negative outcomes is pretty simple. The answer is availability. When you make water and other beverages readily available and easy to access, workers will largely do a good job of staying hydrated throughout the day. Dehydration symptoms are unpleasant, so most people will make it a point to drink enough to feel good and avoid fatigue and other symptoms.
It’s essential to examine the layout of your facility and the foot traffic patterns that occur during an average day. Knowing where your people spend their time and then placing hydration options like an office water dispenser in those locations will allow you to leave dehydration issues mostly in the past.
Finding Custom Solutions
We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all solutions at InReach. Sure, there are some hydration tactics that will work well in most settings, but each warehouse is unique. That’s why we work closely with our clients to design plans that suit their specific needs and cater to the demands of their employees. From simple water coolers to advanced, modern hydration stations, there is an option that will fit every business.
Hydration Made Easy
If you have been feeling overwhelmed by the idea of trying to upgrade your hydration services, we have good news: you don’t have to do it alone. The experts at InReach specialize in office water service, along with many other kinds of projects, and we will be by your side every step of the way. When you connect with our team, we’ll chat about the situation you are facing and work out a solution that both serves your people and suits your budget.
Proudly part of Sodexo, InReach offers global reach, customized attention, and a large, growing buying network that keeps food costs low and quality high. Contact us today to learn more.