With a strong dedication to safety, E.ON U.S. is well aware of the effects heat and humidity can have on employees who work in high temperature conditions. From coal equipment operators to line technicians to meter readers, many E.ON U.S. employees are exposed to high degrees of heat during a typical work day in the summer.

Employees who work at power plants can experience temperatures that reach 120° inside, on a 90° day. Employees who work outside may endure heat indexes in the 100° range. As a result, special steps are taken to ensure that these employees are educated about heat stress and the importance of staying hydrated. Each spring, the Health & Safety Department begins to circulate information on heat and heat-related topics among employees in all lines of business. This information continues to arrive through August and is communicated to employees in different forms to keep it in the forefront of their minds. In addition, fluids are readily available to encourage the safety of their heat-exposed employees.

"Almost 2,000 people in the United States die every year due to hot weather," says Barbara Hawkins, Manager, Corporate Health and Safety. "Those at greatest risk are infants and children, the elderly, and people with chronic illnesses, but even healthy adults can get into trouble quickly if they're not replacing necessary fluids. And water is the best fluid in this kind of weather."

Why Hydration is Important

Because water makes up over half of the body, it is an essential element that aids in many bodily functions, including regulating your body temperature. These functions begin to be altered for each percentage of body water lost.

A two-percent loss causes increasing thirst, loss of appetite and weariness;

A three-percent loss causes difficulty doing physical work, even more fatigue and headaches;

A four-percent loss causes nausea and weakness;

A five-percent loss causes trouble concentrating;

A six-percent loss causes body temperature irregularities;

A 10-percent loss causes problems with body organs, such as kidney failure;

A 20-percent loss causes death.

These figures reinforce the importance of having adequate water in your diet for proper hydration. While this can be achieved by drinking eight 8-oz. glasses of water, you can also eat certain foods that have high water content such as:

• Watermelon
• Radishes
• Oranges
• Grapes
• Cucumbers
• Lettuce
• Strawberries
• Apples
• Cantaloupes
• Celery