A lack of hydration among employees is something that is overlooked most of the time, and could lead to impaired concentration levels, fatigue and lack of coordination, which could result in the occurrence of workplace accidents.
It is therefore incumbent on bosses to ensure that their employees have easily accessible drinking water available at all times, no matter where they work, and whether it is during the night or the day; if people are working there needs to be a source of potable water nearby.
There is no one-fits-all remedy for dehydration, just as there is no truth to the statement that “everyone must drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily.†We all need to drink water according to our age, gender, physical exercise, lifestyle and geographical situation.
If you live in a hot region you should drink more water; if you are engaged in physical activity during your workday you should be drinking more water. If you are required to wear restrictive safety gear for your job or perform most of your work outdoors, you need to drink more water. A general rule of thumb for those described above is around 250ml of water every 30 minutes or so.
Even a 2% drop in one’s hydration level can lead to impaired concentration, headaches and lethargy, which is the last thing you want in your personnel, especially if they are engaged in complicated mathematical calculations or operating heavy machinery as this could lead to mistakes that could cost your company millions or accidents that could cost even more; a human life.
One of the best methods of ensuring that your workforce stays hydrated at all times is to invest in a water cooler or six, depending on the size of your business. Portable water dispensers are great for those who work onsite outdoors, and mains office water coolers are the best solution for the rest.
Mains or point-of-use (POU) water coolers are plumbed directly into the main water line and can basically therefore be installed and virtually forgotten about, unlike bottled water coolers where one has to constantly exchange the bottle and worry about ordering and storage space for both full and empty bottles.
A POU water cooler with a good filter can dispense great tasting filtered water virtually nonstop 24/7/365. Some of the top-of-the-range models even offer cold, ambient and hot water options, which means that your workforce has access to the best tasting water all year round and you will never have to worry about them suffering from dehydration.
