{"id":15657,"date":"2019-04-02T08:00:47","date_gmt":"2019-04-02T13:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/?p=15657"},"modified":"2025-12-11T09:16:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T15:16:32","slug":"how-heat-saps-warehouse-productivity-causes-errors-and-reduces-retention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/2019\/04\/02\/how-heat-saps-warehouse-productivity-causes-errors-and-reduces-retention\/","title":{"rendered":"How Heat Saps Warehouse Productivity, Causes Errors and Reduces Retention"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 100%; max-width: 650px; height: auto; margin-bottom: 12px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/baf-manufacturing.jpg\" alt=\"shop floor in heat\" \/><br \/>\nWarehouses, shop floors, and manufacturing facilities can be difficult environments for workers, and heat makes it even harder. Hot days and hard work conspire to reduce productivity and increase errors. We&#8217;ve found some research that spells out exactly how much, and have some recommendations to reduce the issues.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<aside class=\"tldr-summary\" style=\"padding: 10px 20px 15px 25px; margin-bottom: 50px; border-radius: 15px; border: 2px solid #e4dddd; margin: 4px 10px 4px 10px; box-shadow: 0 4px 8px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2), 0 6px 20px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.19);\" data-type=\"summary\">\n<h4>TL;DR \u2013 The cost of heat on warehouse operations<\/h4>\n<p>Excessive heat in a warehouse significantly reduces worker productivity (up to 29% loss at 90\u00b0F) and dramatically increases error rates (up to 300%). Beyond operational losses, heat is a major factor in employee retention and poses an OSHA safety hazard. Implementing powerful HVLS fans is an economical solution to create a perceived cooling effect of up to 10\u00b0F, improving comfort and reducing errors.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"BlogPosting\",\n  \"headline\": \"How Heat Saps Warehouse Productivity, Causes Errors and Reduces Retention\",\n  \"name\": \"How Heat Saps Warehouse Productivity, Causes Errors and Reduces Retention\",\n  \"description\": \"Excessive heat in a warehouse significantly reduces worker productivity (up to 29% loss at 90\u00b0F) and dramatically increases error rates (up to 300%). Beyond operational losses, heat is a major factor in employee retention and poses an OSHA safety hazard. Implementing powerful HVLS fans is an economical solution to create a perceived cooling effect of up to 10\u00b0F, improving comfort and reducing errors.\",\n  \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/2019\/04\/02\/how-heat-saps-warehouse-productivity-causes-errors-and-reduces-retention\",\n  \"datePublished\": \"2019-04-02\",\n  \"author\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Person\",\n    \"name\": \"Scott Stone\"\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Temperature, productivity, safety, and accuracy are deeply linked<\/h3>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.datexcorp.com\/does-warehouse-worker-comfort-safety-boost-productivity\/\">Volunteer Protection Programs Participants&#8217; Association<\/a>, &#8220;getting the temperature right is important for employers as it provides the perfect environment for optimum employee productivity.&#8221; Workers who are coping with a stuffy, hot warehouse while they are picking, packing, storing, processing, or moving loads&#8211;all difficult, physical jobs&#8211;aren&#8217;t going to perform as well in the heat. A bigger issue may be retention. Employees making relatively the same money will leave for a better work environment. In today&#8217;s tight labor market, that&#8217;s become a real issue for many industrial facilities.<\/p>\n<h4>Rising error rates, declining work output<\/h4>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float: right; width: 100%; max-width: 300px; height: auto; margin-left: 10px; margin-top: 10px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/warehouse-worker-heat.jpg\" alt=\"warehouse heat sabotages productivity\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.azevap.com\/workAreaTempProductivity.php\">A NASA study<\/a> on temperatures, productivity, and accuracy confirms this. NASA found that higher temperatures have a profound negative effect on productivity and accuracy.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>At 75 degrees (F), work output drops 3%, and accuracy is unaffected.<\/li>\n<li>Output plummets 8% at 80 degrees, while accuracy is reduced by 5%.<\/li>\n<li>At 85 degrees, it gets worse: The productivity drop is 18%, while error rates increase by a whopping 40%.<\/li>\n<li>It gets much more difficult at 90 degrees, with a 29% output drop and a 300% error rate increase.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In a hot warehouse in the middle of summer, many facilities will range into the 80-85 degree neighborhood if they aren&#8217;t air-conditioned.<\/p>\n<h4>It&#8217;s all about the people<\/h4>\n<p>Like many industrial facilities these days, you are likely facing labor shortages and difficulties hiring people. Reducing turnover by increasing comfort is one of the most cost-effective ways to keep people satisfied and more likely to work for you.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/26\/dealing-with-warehouse-labor-shortages\/\"><em>More: Dealing with Warehouse Labor Shortages<\/em><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4>Less work, more rest at high temperatures<\/h4>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-bottom: 12px; width: 100%; max-width: 700px; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/warehouse-heat2.jpg\" alt=\"worker in a hot warehouse taking a break\" \/><br \/>\nThese are the work\/rest ratios <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/dts\/osta\/otm\/otm_iii\/otm_iii_4.html\">recommended by OSHA<\/a> at various temperatures.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>For what the agency classifies as &#8220;heavy&#8221; or &#8220;very heavy&#8221; labor, the percentage of work recommended for physically fit individuals in proper gear, with proper hydration, is just 75% work and 25% rest per hour at 77 degrees.<\/li>\n<li>When it gets hotter, the amount of work per hour such a person should be safely expected to do drops to only 50% at 82 degrees.<\/li>\n<li>At 86 degrees, OSHA recommends just 25% work per hour.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While these percentages sound restrictive, people working in the heat are absolutely not working full hours.<\/p>\n<h3>How hot is too hot? OSHA has no standards, except when it does<\/h3>\n<p>Hazards that aren&#8217;t covered by other OSHA standards can fall under Section 5(a)(1). This section requires that employers provide a workplace free of recognized hazards that may cause injuries or death. Anything that isn&#8217;t specifically covered falls under this section.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>You failed to keep your workplace free of a &#8220;hazard.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>The hazard was recognized either by you, or in your industry&#8211;you knew it existed, or could reasonably be expected to know.<\/li>\n<li>The potential hazard has caused or is reasonably likely to cause death or harm.<\/li>\n<li>You had a reasonable way to prevent or materially reduce the hazard.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>This all seems to be common sense, and heat in an industrial facility checks all those boxes. There is ample documentation of heat-related hazards you could be expected to understand, and the fact that heat is a serious hazard is widely known. And of course, there are reasonable and economical ways to reduce warehouse heat as a hazard.<\/p>\n<h3>HVLS fans reduce the stress of warehouse and industrial facility heat<\/h3>\n<p>They move huge volumes of air that HVAC alone can&#8217;t. In hot, sweaty conditions that cripple productivity and multiply errors, HVLS fans break up the moisture-saturated boundary layer surrounding the body, accelerating evaporation to produce a perceived cooling effect of up to 10\u00b0F. The effect on people is like a breeze on a summer day, even without absolute temperature reduction.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>With or without HVAC, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/category\/892\/big-ass-fans-hvls\">large ceiling fans<\/a> (called HVLS fans in the industry, for &#8220;high-volume, low-speed&#8221;), can be enormously helpful. HVLS fans don&#8217;t reduce temperatures&#8211;they make it feel cooler than it actually is by 6 to 12 degrees. For facilities that either cannot afford or cannot implement HVAC, it&#8217;s a highly economical way to increase worker comfort and retention in a tough labor market.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>HVLS fans can efficiently circulate cooled air throughout the structure, making your HVAC more effective. With improved air movement, you can set your thermostat at a higher temperature without diminishing comfort&#8211;using 3 to 6 percent less energy per degree. This reduces cooling bills and increases employee retention while increasing productivity and reducing errors.<\/p>\n<h4>Other methods for employee comfort in the heat<\/h4>\n<p>For warehouses where doors must be kept open, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/category\/268\/vinyl-strip-doors-curtains\">strip doors and curtains<\/a> help retain climate controlled air without impeding access for people or forklifts. High-speed and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/category\/2991\/vinyl-mesh-roll-up-doors\">roll-up doors<\/a> are also useful for containing climate. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/category\/3982\/industrial-warehouse-fans\">Directional fans<\/a> are good for many applications and can help increase comfort for employees. Please contact us for more ways to increase employee comfort and reduce turnover while increasing productivity.<\/p>\n<h4>More resources<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/category\/3157\/justifying-a-high-volume-low-speed-fan\">How to Justify an HVLS Upgrade<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sobieskiinc.com\/blog\/whats-best-temperature-your-commercial-building\">What&#8217;s the Best Temperature for Your Building?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/2008\/05\/28\/summertime-tips-for-better-warehouse-operations\/\">4 Tips for Summertime in the Warehouse<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Warehouses, shop floors, and manufacturing facilities can be difficult environments for workers, and heat makes it even harder. Hot days and hard work conspire to reduce productivity and increase errors. We&#8217;ve found some research that spells out exactly how much, and have some recommendations to reduce the issues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[162,723],"series":[],"class_list":["post-15657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-safety","tag-labor","tag-roi"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2027-04-03 15:09:25","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15657"}],"version-history":[{"count":54,"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15657\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33371,"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15657\/revisions\/33371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15657"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=15657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}