Carefully air-condition offices in summer

Carefully air-condition offices in summer

06/24/2013

In summer, the temptation to turn up the air conditioning in office rooms when the heat is high. But beware! Because that can increase the risk of cold.

21 to 22 degrees in the office
Even though temperatures have dropped a bit in the last few days, the next heat wave is coming. Then the temptation is great again to mitigate the heat by a vigorously cranked air conditioning. But it can be fatal if you sweat outside in the sun and then sit in the office again in down-cooled rooms. Because there is a risk of a cold when the temperature difference between outside and inside is too large, warns Uwe Gerecke of the Association of Plant and Factory Physicians. Office space should not be cooled down further than 21 or 22 degrees Celsius even in very hot weather.

Relief through proper clothing
Gerecke advises that working people should rather be relieved by choosing the right clothes instead of turning the offices into ice chambers. So he recommends to wear airy cotton and linen things and to refrain from jeans on hot summer days. The employer may also be encouraged, at very high temperatures, to temporarily suspend the customary tie-dyeing process in various industries.

Have a drink and light meals
To be able to handle the summer temperatures better in the office, it is advisable to follow general tips. So abundant drinking is particularly important to keep the body fit and healthy. Generally, according to the recommendation of the German Nutrition Society (DGE) „At least 1.5 l per day to be drunk, in heat it may be quiet 3 l and more.“ Since enough energy is required from the body due to the heat, summery food should be easy to digest. Suitable here are, for example, light summer salads with cheese, ham or boiled egg, steamed vegetables, lean meat or fish and baked potatoes with herb quark, as a dessert yogurt with fresh fruit is a good tip. (Ad)

Image: Cornelia Menichelli