The Effects of High Heat Index on Workplace Productivity and Employee Health - Research Paper Example

This is coupled with minimal additions from urban development that comes through absorption of heat in concrete buildings. Scientists refer to this effect as the urban heat island effect. Increase in ambient temperature humanity to more heat especially during heat seasons. This is a direct cause of unhealthy working environments. It has profound effects to people who cannot afford protective devices (Bridger 2003). This also means that companies need to incur extra costs in installing cooling gadgets including air conditioners.

Effects on the working environment influence the economic and health conditions of workers. The latter causes the former effect because the human body maintains a temperature of 37 degree Celsius. However, physical activities generate metabolic heat that the body transfers through homeostasis to the external environment. The body automatically carries homeostasis functions to avoid increasing the core body temperature. Various factors maintain the balance of heat in the body including humidity, air temperature, air movement, metabolic heat, radiant temperature, and clothing.

Increasing physical activities in hot working environment increases the chances of increasing the core body temperature going above 38 degrees Celsius. Other risks in such circumstances include reduced physical working ability, reduced mental task ability, dehydration, and heat exhaustion. The human body looses four liters of fluid during daily usual operations. Lost fluids are replenished by drinking of water and eating liquid food. The case is different when the body is under different condition that include sweating, diarrhea, exercising, in a different climatic temperature, and when in a different altitude.

The body requires high amount of fluid to sustain normal body temperature under such circumstances. The leading causes of loss of body fluid are sweating and exercise. When the body constantly sweats, the body efficiently cools. Organs of homeostasis