Four things employers need to know about summer heat
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Heat is more than the temperature.The heat Index takes into account humidity as well as temperature to tell us how hot it actually feels outside. The OSHA-NIOSH Heat Safety Tool App can tell you the current and forecasted heat index near your location. However, the heat index doesn’t account for solar radiation or air flow. The most accurate heat stress measurement tool is an on-site Wet Bulb Globe Temperature meter, which accounts for temperature, humidity, wind speed and solar radiation. It is important to have a way to regularly check heat conditions and enforce safety policies if your workers are at risk.
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Don’t only focus on outdoor workers.Outdoor workers clearly need support in the form of breaks, hydration and other ways to cool off on hotter-than-normal days. But indoor workers may need support, too. Consider a manufacturing plant or warehouse that is not climate-controlled. What was a safe working environment for many years might not be now or won’t be in the near future – at least not during periods of extreme heat. There are still many parts of the country where it is not common for businesses and homes to be air-conditioned. But even in these areas, summer temperatures that rise each year are creating health challenges, especially for people with underlying conditions.
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Planning ahead could curb the impact of heat on your business success metrics.For many businesses, human capital is the most important asset. Reduced productivity, increase in accidents, higher absenteeism and increased medical claims are all documented to occur in tandem with higher temperatures.
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Heat and pollution/poor air quality are a dangerous pairing for worker health.
In Mercer’s recent Survey on Health and Benefit Strategies for 2025, we asked nearly 700 employers if extreme heat has had an impact on their employees and businesses during the past two years. Overall, 23% reported that employees had been affected and 9% said business operations or results have been affected. Not surprisingly, this varied significantly by location and type of industry. Among respondents in the West and South, in a handful of industries like construction and energy where many employees work outdoors, these numbers were more than double – 47% said workers what been affected and 41% said business had been affected. Also not surprisingly, these employers were more likely to have policies/programs in place to support workers in extreme heat.
If you are looking for some help with your planning, two new tip sheets are available with statistics on the impact of extreme heat on productivity, plus practical advice on protecting workers. The tip sheets include a guide for employers to create a workplace heat stress management plan, as well as steps employees can take to stay safe in hot conditions. Let’s do everything we can to get out in front of this. It really does matter – and everything you are doing can, and will, make a difference.
