Warehouses are an important part of the supply chain for goods in the U.S. and the world. Distributors and manufacturers use warehouses to store hard and soft goods. Millions of employees work in these environments to facilitate their movement and storage. Owners of these businesses have the responsibility to create a safe and productive working environment for employees. In this regard, let’s discuss how warehouse humidity control with a commercial humidifier creates a safe working environment for warehouse workers.
Warehouse Humidity Control and Temperature Level Standards
Warehouse humidity control regulates the temperature and humidity levels in warehouses and is required by law in the U.S. to avoid creating what’s commonly called “sweat shops.” We find out exactly what these standards are in an article found on Chron, called: “Industrial Standards for the Temperature in Employee Work Areas”, written by Carol Luther the article explains:
“…Regardless of business size, the minimum temperature for indoor workplaces is 68 Fahrenheit and the maximum is 76 degrees Fahrenheit. The acceptable range for indoor humidity is between 20 and 60 percent.”
The acceptable range for humidity is fairly wide and the recommended levels differ according to the type of goods warehouses are storing. OSHA’s recommended levels will provide a comfortable and safe environment for employees. Different types of goods have to be stored at different humidity levels. The Engineering Toolbox website has a chart showing the exact humidity levels for different types of goods on their website. Generally, humidity levels need to stay within a 5 to 10 percent difference.
Humidity Problems to Solve in Warehouses
You’ll never have a problem finding commercial humidifiers for warehouse, yet how many of them give you all the features you need to solve unique problems? Humidity is a complicated subject, and it also brings complex problems that can greatly affect the health of your workers and the equipment you use.
The trouble is, a lot of warehouse humidity issues aren’t always obvious. You may not even notice some problems until they start affecting employee health and you see unexpected breakdowns in equipment.
If you’ve already invested in using commercial humidifiers for warehouse and found some humidification control. But, are you sure it’s going to work to cover every problem? Far too many humidifier products aren’t comprehensive enough to cover all situations. They also aren’t always flexible enough to let you install them where you want.
Take a look at various humidity problems you’re perhaps overlooking, and how we can solve them with our unique humidifying equipment at Smart Fog.
Overly High Humidity
Your warehouse may have a dysfunctional ventilation system or structural gaps in the building, hence bringing in excess humidity. Once you start experiencing higher humidity, you’ll start noticing your employees complaining of excessive sweating. Or, you may begin seeing condensation on various warehouse surfaces. High humidity is going to make your employees feel miserable in the summertime, no matter if you use an HVAC system for cooling. Condensation on your warehouse equipment could cause damage and require expensive maintenance to repair. Even then, the condensation problem may continue unless you find a way to control the relative humidity in your work environment. Basically, an RH of 45% to 55% is ideal.
Overly Low Humidity
In the wintertime, you may experience overly low humidity, which only creates extreme dry air that potentially spreads airborne particulates. It also causes gradual physical symptoms you may initially write off as allergies or outside health anomalies. If your employees start complaining about overly dry skin, or unexplained coughing, dry air could be a factor. You may soon start noticing other problems with dry air, and they sometimes become mistakenly designated as harmless.
Static Electricity and Dust
Both of these are a natural part of science that every home experiences when dry air occurs. In a warehouse setting, they aren’t something innocuous. You have to take static electricity and dust seriously since they both can start to affect the machinery you depend on every day. Plus, these are just as bad for employee health as the issues listed above. Static electricity could easily blow out a computer or affect how warehouse machinery operates. A static shock could even cause a worker to fall after being startled, hence leading to major injury.
You can clean dust, though it’ll always come back when you have dry air. Dust suppression isn’t easy either without having to invest in overly expensive equipment. So what features should you use to help control high and low humidity in your warehouse?
Innovative Features to Maintain RH
Our line of humidifiers here at Smart Fog cover every possible scenario your warehouse might encounter. First, the products have intelligent humidity control so you can maintain a perfect RH without having to do constant monitoring. With no moving parts, you don’t have to worry about employee injury or obstruction either. Condensation won’t become a problem anymore. Thanks to our de-correlation process and our smaller water droplet size. In the latter case, the smaller the droplet, the less apt you’ll get water on surrounding surfaces. Even better is the installation options available, including an in-duct variation. Because not all warehouses have a lot of space for humidifiers, you can finally control where you place them, including wall installation.
Dangers of Excessive Temperature and Humidity for Employees
Commercial businesses need to consider the comfort and safety of their employees because no matter what geographical region warehouses are located, excessive temperature and humidity levels can be present and need to be regulated to ideal levels. Here are some main dangers that can occur if warehouse humidity control is not regulated properly:
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- Fines from the Government
- Unproductive Workers
- Fatigued and Distracted Workforce
- Sickness and Health Concerns
- Complaints and Poor Moral
- Bad Reputation for Commercial Business
Let’s elaborate on a few of these dangers (especially the last one) by looking at an article on eCommerce Bytes, called: “Sellers Worried about Conditions in Amazon Warehouses”, written by Ina Steiner. The article explains:
“…’An emergency room doctor in June called federal regulators to report an ‘unsafe environment’ after he treated several Amazon workers for heat-related problems…’”
Uncontrolled temperature and humidity levels together create uncomfortable and unproductive work environments; in addition to poor work environments, it can be hazardous to the health of warehouse workers.
Air-Borne Particulates and Health
Another danger caused by uncontrolled humidity levels is air-borne particulates that can make workers sick and uncomfortable due to particulates such as: viruses, molds, bacteria, dust mites, etc. These air-borne particulates are present even with proper levels of humidity and temperature. However, excessive levels of humidity, particularly, cause these to flourish. This is why commercial warehouses need a commercial humidification system that also sanitizes the air (like Smart Fog’s humidification systems).
4 Things Commercial Humidifiers Should Do
When thinking about the top four functions businesses need out of their humidification systems, these 4 come to mind:
- Accurately Controls Humidity to Preserve Goods and Create Comfortable Environment
- Easy to Install and Maintain
- Sanitizes the Air
- Energy-Efficient and Safe
Depending on where the warehouse is located, the air can either have too much or too little moisture; both of these extremes are uncomfortable for workers and can damage goods and equipment. Therefor, the main focus is for the humidifier to accurately control the moisture levels.
In the process of controlling the moisture levels in the air, business owners don’t want to have to go to extreme lengths to install and maintain the humidification system. They need an easy to install system that doesn’t require drainage, fans, or regular maintenance. Also, because of the goods and workers, the humidifier can’t cause wetting below.
Owners of warehouses need the working environment to be as clean and sanitized as possible for their workers, goods, and equipment. This has a lot to do with the air quality, which can carry air-borne pathogens that cause sickness and are damaging to goods. The humidifier, therefor, needs to sanitize the air and eliminate these air-borne pathogens.
Lastly, the humidification system needs to be energy-efficient and safe to use. The last thing owners want or need is a high-pressure, hot, unsafe, and expensive piece of equipment to manage and use. The humidifier needs to be energy-efficient and safe for the warehouse environment and workers.
Conclusion and Solution
Effectively monitoring warehouse humidity control in warehouses is vital for the protection of goods and workers. Federal laws, avoiding a bad reputation, ensuring the health of workers, and increasing productivity are all good reasons commercial warehouse business owners should make this a priority.
HVAC units are good for temperature control but not with humidity levels; however, the good news is that commercial warehouses can now use a Smart Fog humidification system. These systems use a patented technology to precisely regulate humidity levels while sanitizing the air.
In conclusion, Smart Fog’s humidification systems are perfect for warehouse businesses. Furthermore, these units are low pressure, energy-efficient, very low maintenance, and easy to install whether wall-mounted or placed in-duct. Commercial warehouse businesses need the best HVAC and humidification systems available in order to ensure the safety and comfort of workers and protect their goods. If interested in learning more, customer’s can browse our website in addition to contacting us directly.
