All Articles
2012 Articles
- How safe is it to Refill your Plastic Water Bottle? Pt 2 – Chemical Concerns
- How safe is it to Refill your Plastic Water Bottle? Pt 1 – Bacterial Concerns
- 60% of Europe’s Spring Water is Found in Romania
- Dehydration in the Elderly
- Water Cooler Cannon
- Olympics a Welcome boost to Bottled Water Industry in 2012
- Classy Water
- Smart Water
- New Year’s Greetings
2011 Articles
- Curing the New Year's Party Hangover Pt 1 – Water the Ultimate Elixir
- Water Coolers for the Education System - Free Trial On Water Coolers To Keep Your Pupils Healthy
- What’s Coming Out of Your Tap
- What’s the Difference Between Spring Water and Mineral Water
- BWCA Recruits ‘Hydration Heroes’ as part of its Stay Cooler Campaign
- Top Tips for A Hygienic Water Cooler – Pt 2
- Top Tips for A Hygienic Water cooler – Pt 1
- Bottled Water Industry denies EFSA claims about hydration will affect them
- Drinking Water Helps Prevent Diabetes
- Swindon Named Most ‘Water Conscious’ Town in the UK by Thames Water
- FoodBev.com Awards 2011
- Plumbed In Vs Bottled Water Coolers (Part 2: Water Quality and Environmental Impact)
- Plumbed In Vs Bottled Water coolers (Part 1: Cost and Convenience)
- Keep It Light
- Why Do Ice Cubes Float in Water
- Why it's so important to keep our children hydrated?
- The Flavia Creation 400 Brewer – Bringing Café Culture into the Office
- A Call to Improve Kerbside Plastic Bottle Collection
- Introducing the Everest Office Water Cooler
- Where’s Cooler? – British Water Cooler Association Competition Aims to Raise Public Awareness
- Yate Water Cooler Company Welcomes Local MP in Bid For the UK to Stay Cooler!
- Water Cooler Test for Giant Octopus
- And Finally for Today
- European Commision Drinking Water Directive
- World Health Organisation Drinking Water Guidelines
2010 Articles
- What is the Drinking Water Inspectorate?
- Hydration and Health
- Dealing With Algae in Your Water Cooler
- Environmental and sustainable hot and cold beverage supply
- Low Cost Water Coolers
- The Supreme Stylish Water Cooler
- Introducing the Blizzard Fountain
- Introducing the Elite Water Cooler
- Introducing the Coolcask
- Case Study: Beverage Service Station
- Website Improvements
- Does the bottled water cooler industry recycle its water bottles?
- Bottled Water vs Tap Water - Carbon Footprint Compared
- Get a Free Flavia Coffee Machine!
- Which Water Cooler is Best to Install - Bottled or Plumbed-in (POU)?
- Bottled vs Plumbed-in Water Coolers - Carbon Footprint Compared
- Do Bottled Water, and Water Coolers, Contribute to Global Warming?
- Water Coolers and Purification
- Customer Testimonials Mars Flavia
- Getting a Water Cooler is Easy
- Water and the Environment - The Industry Speaks
- How Much Does a Water Cooler Cost
- How Does a Water Cooler Work?
- Bottled Water Vs Tap Water
- Drinking Water and Perpetual Youth!
- Office Water Coolers and the AWS Group
- The Office Group Expands its Product Range
- Water Coolers in Schools Evaluation
- Office Water Coolers Waste Policy
- Office Water Coolers and the Save A Cup Scheme
- Our Staff Are Now Criminal Record Bureau Checked
- Why Choose a Member of the British Water Cooler Association
- What are the Different Types of Water
- Fancy a Coffee?
- How to Choose a Water Cooler
- How to Choose a Water Cooler Supplier
- Essential Care of a Plumbed-in Water Cooler
- Essential Care of Your Water Cooler
- Autumn Promotion
- Water is Weird!
- Scientists Create Dry Water!
- Office Watercoolers are now live on Twitter
- The official Powwow Rescue Package
- Pow wow administration
2008 Articles
- The Dangers of Working Up a Sweat
- Office Watercoolers Carbon Offset Program
- Environmental Initiative 2009
- Office Health, Hydration And Now Hot Drinks
- Health and Hydration in the work place
- Workplace wellbeing: a water-based solution?
- Water Helps Prevent Cancer
- Campaign for hydrated meetings!
- Well Being Checks, On The Spot
The Dangers of Working Up a Sweat
30/06/2009 By Peter Brooks
Dehydration risk for workers in summer heat wave warns Water Wellpoint
Experts are predicting a long hot summer and whilst many will relish the thought of a spell of warm weather, leading hydration expert, Water Wellpoint, is offering a few tips for commuters and other workers, to reduce the risk of heat related illnesses.
"Commuters - whether on the train, in their own vehicles or using underground systems - can suffer from long hot journeys and need to be aware of the risks of dehydration," explains Colin Wilson, Research Scientist, Water Wellpoint. “And it’s not just commuters who need to be aware of the risks, as the temperature rises. People who work outside, such as gardeners, builders, police officers, firemen and professional drivers are also among the high risk groups in a heat wave."
Dehydration is the loss of water essential for body function, which occurs when more liquids and salts are lost than taken in. Thirst is a sign of dehydration, but by the time people are thirsty they are already mildly dehydrated and additionally some people confuse thirst with hunger. Water Wellpoint therefore advises people to top up on fluids throughout the day, especially when it’s very warm, to avoid risking heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
“Heat exhaustion is caused by prolonged exposure to very hot temperatures or dehydration" continued Colin Wilson. “If someone becomes dangerously dehydrated, their body loses its ability to cool itself, which can affect a person’s vital organs.
“Someone with heat exhaustion may sweat excessively, feel faint, tired and have a headache. Left unchecked, heatstroke may occur and the person may become confused, disorientated and lose consciousness. Anyone exhibiting signs of heatstroke needs immediate medical attention. In a moderate heat wave, only high-risk groups such as the elderly and the very young may be affected, but in extreme heat, even normally fit and healthy people need to take extra care."
Wilson concludes, “‘A loss of more than 2% of a body’s fluids can cause as much as a 20% reduction in both physical and mental abilities. This means workers and especially those operating machinery need to top up their fluid intake to keep their mind on the job. Evidence shows that as the temperature rises the number of work related accidents also increases. Commuters should make sure they keep a bottle of water in the car or in their bag, in case they get stuck in traffic or suffer transport delays.
“We lose about half a litre of water every day just by breathing and more through perspiration, but in hot weather water loss will increase as the body strives to maintain a constant body temperature. It only takes a few simple precautions to avoid the effects of heat exhaustion, so we advise everyone to drink plenty of fluids to ensure a safe and enjoyable summer."
- If possible, stay in the shade on hot sunny days
- When working outside, wear a wide-brimmed hat and long, loose clothing
- Drink lots of cool non-alcoholic drinks to replace lost fluids
- Avoid alcohol if possible as it dehydrates the body
- Reduce strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day where possible
- Commuters should always travel with something to drink
Using a wet flannel can help people to keep cool - Turn off non-essential lights and electrical equipment in the office to reduce build up of heat
© 2012 Office Water Coolers
Recent Articles
How safe is it to Refill your Plastic Water Bottle? Pt 2 – Chemical Concerns
Welcome to the second part of Office Water Coolers two part info series on the facts about refilling plastic water bottles. Before we begin, I’d like to qualify that the bottles we’re talking about are not the reusable 18.9 ltr bottles designed for our water coolers but the small 500ml, 750ml or even 1 ltr water or soft drink bottles found in supermarkets and newsagents.Almost all plastic bottles containing soft drinks, juices and mineral water in the UK are made from polyethylene terephthalate ...
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How safe is it to Refill your Plastic Water Bottle? Pt 1 – Bacterial Concerns
It's a practice that is commonplace in office up and down the UK. Plastic water bottles bought off the shelves from supermarkets getting refilled using the office water cooler at work. Many of us have done it before and many do it every day. I will admit to occasionally filling up an empty 500ml bottle of Fillongley Spring Water myself to take in the car with me on a long journey or business trip. But is it safe to keep doing this indefinitely? We’ve discussed before on these pages how important ...
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60% of Europe’s Spring Water is Found in Romania
Well I’m always keen to share any fascinating facts I have about water with you the reader and today is a corker! I think it’s fair to say that Office Beverages is a place where we don’t just want to sell water, we want to educate people about it. Water is the elixir of all life on this planet and we’re keen to stress the importance of everyone having the opportunity to access to clean filtered or spring water in the workplace. Talking of spring water, it may interest you to know that ...
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Dehydration in the Elderly
Through Office Water Coolers commendable campaigning for better hydration in offices and schools, there has been a tendency to emphasise the need for hydration in working age adults and energetic young children. Perhaps it is pertinent to stress the need to educate the elderly in our society about the health benefits of keeping hydrated throughout the day. This need becomes even greater and more urgent when we consider that older people are more susceptible to dehydration because of specific physiological ...
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