Work Environment

The temperature and humidity of the work environment directly impact worker performance and well being. In closed, indoor work environments, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units can be used to control climate to acceptable levels of temperature and humidity. Exceptions are tasks performed around furnaces, boilers, welders or other heat generating sources and tasks performed in walk-in freezers, refrigerated trucks, around cryogenic materials or other cold generating sources. For tasks that must be performed out-of-doors, appropriate clothing can be worn and exposure to adverse climates limited, depending upon climate conditions. This section will address the impact of:

• Heat
• Humidity
• Cold.

Humans can adapt to wide variations in external climate; however, even small changes to our "internal environment" can produce serious reactions that impact human performance and health.