Dehydration is a common physical condition, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t dangerous. In fact, the symptoms of dehydration alone can have serious effects on a person’s overall health and their ability to do their job. This is why it’s important for each person to do what they can to keep themselves properly hydrated—especially during working hours. These are the dangers of on-the-job dehydration and how you can help avoid it in your workplace.
Heat Illness
If you your career is in a physically demanding field, you run a particularly high risk of developing a heat injury or illness when you don’t drink enough water. These conditions can range from mild heat cramps to full-blown heat strokes, and they raise the chances you’ll sustain additional injuries: individuals who suffer from these conditions can also faint, go into cardiac arrest, or experience a seizure. To avoid these risks, make sure to drink plenty of fluids when you’re exposed to warmer temperatures.
Decreased Cognitive Functioning
Some of the most common symptoms of dehydration include headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. This means there’s a high chance that a dehydrated individual could also experience decreased cognitive function. This not only diminishes one’s mental well-being, but also may prevent him or her from properly performing their duties. For tasks that require all of a person’s focus, this can lead to unintentional mistakes or a halt in overall workflow.
Slower Motor Skills
On-the-job dehydration also affects a person’s basic motor skills, which can lead to a series of workplace accidents. The more impaired these functions are, the more likely a person is to trip, misstep, or injure themselves on a jobsite. Even people who work in office settings aren’t entirely safe, as they’re still at risk for falls and disorientation.
Seizure or Loss of Consciousness
In severe cases, dehydration can even result in seizures or a sudden loss of consciousness. When experiencing these conditions, a person may fall and injure themselves. Along with the mental trauma from the event, they may also sustain injuries from the environment around them while they’re incapacitated.
Frequent water consumption is one of the most effective ways to prevent an individual from having one of these potentially life-threatening health events on the job. This is why we at Drink Meta seek to ensure that every worker has access to the drinking water they need. With our water dispenser rentals and service in New York City, everyone will have the proper amount of drinking water when they need it most.