With the arrival of the summer season, maintaining comfortable working conditions inside warehouses, storage facilities, and production departments becomes an increasingly complex challenge. High temperatures do not only affect the well-being of workers, but can also influence safety, productivity, and the overall efficiency of business activities.
In many industrial environments, in fact, the combination of external heat, solar radiation, large volumes, and production processes that generate thermal energy can lead to particularly severe microclimatic conditions. It is therefore not surprising that heat risk is now considered a central theme in the field of occupational health and safety.
But what are the concrete risks associated with high temperatures? What does the legislation provide for? And above all, what solutions can companies adopt to improve the comfort of work environments during the hottest months?
In this article, we will analyze the main critical issues related to thermal stress in industrial environments and see how evaporative cooling can represent an effective response to protect the well-being of workers and improve operating conditions within plants.
Table of Contents
- Why heat risk has become a priority for companies
- What the legislation provides for regarding the protection of workers from heat
- The effects of high temperatures on health and safety
- Why many industrial environments become critical during the summer
- Prevention measures recommended by the guidelines
- Cooling work environments: a concrete prevention measure
- Difference between ventilation, evaporative cooling, and air conditioning: which solution to choose
- Industrial evaporative coolers: the solution for large environments
- Conclusions
Why heat risk has become a priority for companies
The heatwaves that have been affecting Europe in recent years represent not only a climatic challenge, but an increasingly relevant issue for health and safety in the workplace. High temperatures influence not only the well-being of people, but also productivity, the quality of processing, and the organization of business activities.
This phenomenon particularly concerns the industrial sector. Many production plants, logistics warehouses, workshops, and large sheds are characterized by large surfaces, high internal thermal loads, and frequent air exchanges with the outside, conditions that during the summer can transform work environments into particularly critical areas from a microclimatic point of view.
The growing attention toward this issue has led to the publication of the new "Guidelines for the protection of workers from heat and solar radiation," approved by the Conference of Regions in June 2025. The document emphasizes how work carried out in extreme heat conditions can increase the risk of heat-related pathologies, increase the probability of accidents due to fatigue and reduced concentration, and negatively impact company productivity levels.
For companies, it is therefore not just a matter of complying with a regulatory obligation, but of ensuring safe, efficient, and sustainable working conditions.
What the legislation provides for regarding the protection of workers from heat
Heat risk falls fully within the risks that the employer is required to assess pursuant to Legislative Decree 81/2008.
The guidelines published in 2025 reiterate that the microclimate and solar radiation must be included in the company risk assessment process (DUVRI) and that the employer has the obligation to identify and adopt adequate preventive and protective measures. (Regulatory reference: Articles 180 and 181 I Title VIII - Physical Agents)
A particularly important aspect concerns indoor environments. Contrary to what one might think, heat risk does not exclusively affect those who work outdoors. The guidelines specify that the risk can also manifest in closed environments when these are not properly ventilated, cooled, or insulated and when internal conditions are affected by external temperatures.
The document also highlights that, in environments where no particular production constraints exist, the objective should always be the achievement of thermal comfort.
This principle takes on fundamental importance for companies operating in large industrial sheds, where environmental comfort can significantly impact the well-being of workers and operational performance.
The effects of high temperatures on health and safety
Excessive heat does not only cause a feeling of discomfort. When the human body is subjected to high temperatures for prolonged periods, especially in the presence of high humidity and intense physical activity, various pathologies related to thermal stress can appear.
Milder manifestations include sweat dermatitis, muscle cramps, and hydromineral imbalances caused by the loss of fluids and mineral salts through sweating. If the situation worsens, more significant symptoms may appear such as weakness, dizziness, irritability, nausea, mental confusion, and severe fatigue.
In the most serious cases, it leads to so-called heat stroke, a true medical emergency that occurs when the body's thermoregulation mechanisms can no longer dissipate the accumulated heat. Body temperature can exceed 40°C, with consequences that can affect the nervous system, the cardiovascular system, and internal organs.
In addition to direct health risks, high temperatures also influence safety at work. Physical and mental fatigue reduces attention span, increases the risk of error, and can favor the occurrence of incidents and accidents.
Why many industrial environments become critical during the summer
When talking about heat risk, one often thinks of outdoor workers. In reality, many of the most complex problems occur precisely inside industrial buildings.
During the summer months, large sheds can accumulate significant amounts of heat. Metal roofing, glass surfaces, skylights, and solar radiation contribute to increasing the internal temperature. To these factors are often added machinery, production plants, and industrial processes that generate further thermal inputs.
The situation can become even more critical when the environment has insufficient ventilation. The guidelines themselves identify among the main factors predisposing to heat risk the presence of high temperatures, high humidity, limited air movement, physically demanding activities, and the use of personal protective equipment that hinders the dispersion of body heat.
A particularly significant example is represented by logistics warehouses. The guidelines describe these environments as structures often lacking summer air conditioning systems, characterized by continuous exchanges with the outside through doors, loading bays, and operational areas that are strongly affected by climatic conditions.
In these contexts, maintaining acceptable thermal comfort conditions represents one of the main challenges for safety and facility management managers.
Prevention measures recommended by the guidelines
The new guidelines suggest an integrated approach to heat risk management. In fact, there is no single decisive measure, but a set of interventions that must be coordinated with each other.
Among the main recommendations we find:
- the correct organization of work shifts;
- the limitation of activities during the hottest hours;
- the constant availability of fresh water;
- information and training for workers;
- progressive acclimatization to new thermal environments;
- the provision of areas dedicated to breaks and physiological recovery.
The guidelines also emphasize the importance of providing comfortable environments in which workers can recover during breaks and recommend paying particular attention to individuals most sensitive to high temperatures.
All these measures are certainly fundamental, but they do not eliminate the problem at its root. If the work environment continues to reach excessive temperatures, it becomes necessary to intervene directly on the microclimatic conditions.
Cooling work environments: a concrete prevention measure
The reduction of perceived temperature and the improvement of environmental comfort represent one of the most effective tools for limiting the risk of thermal stress.
In many industrial contexts, however, traditional air conditioning presents significant technical and economic limits. Large volumes, high heights, frequently open doors, and continuous air changes often make it difficult to maintain stable conditions using conventional systems.
For this reason, more and more companies are evaluating solutions specifically designed for the cooling of large industrial environments.
The goal is not necessarily to reach office temperatures, but to create comfort conditions sufficient to improve the well-being of operators, favor the dispersion of body heat, and reduce the risk of fatigue.
Difference between ventilation, evaporative cooling, and air conditioning: which solution to choose?
When addressing the problem of heat in the workplace, terms like ventilation, cooling, and air conditioning are often used as synonyms. In reality, these are profoundly different technologies, each with specific characteristics, advantages, and limits.
Ventilation has the main task of moving and renewing the air present inside an environment. Through fans or extraction systems, it is possible to promote air exchange and improve the perception of comfort for workers. However, ventilation alone does not reduce the air temperature: if the outside air is already very hot, the benefit may be limited, especially during the most intense heatwaves.
Air conditioning, on the other hand, acts through a refrigeration cycle that cools the air and allows for precise control of temperature and, in some cases, humidity in the environment. This solution is particularly effective in offices and closed environments of limited size. In large industrial sheds, however, air conditioning can present critical issues related to high installation and management costs, especially when large volumes are present, doors are frequently open, or there are continuous air exchanges with the outside.
Between these two solutions lies evaporative cooling, a technology that exploits a natural principle: the evaporation of water. During this process, the air gives up part of its heat, reducing the temperature before being introduced into the environment. Unlike simple ventilation, evaporative cooling therefore allows for a concrete lowering of the air temperature; at the same time, compared to traditional air conditioning, it requires significantly lower energy consumption and adapts particularly well to large industrial environments, functioning efficiently even with open doors.
The choice of the most suitable solution naturally depends on the characteristics of the building, the production process, and the company's objectives. However, in many industrial plants, logistics warehouses, workshops, and hangars, evaporative cooling represents often the best compromise between comfort, efficiency energetica and economic sustainability. Not surprisingly, it is one of the most used technologies to improve the well-being of workers in large environments, where microclimate control represents a particularly complex challenge.
Industrial evaporative coolers: the solution for large environments
Among the technologies available today, evaporative cooling represents one of the most effective solutions for microclimate management in large industrial environments.
The physical principle behind the system is completely natural: the evaporation of water absorbs thermal energy from the air, reducing its temperature. The cooled air is then introduced into the environment, contributing to improving the comfort conditions perceived by workers.
One of the main advantages of evaporative coolers is their ability to treat large volumes of air with low energy consumption. Unlike traditional air conditioning systems, these systems work with outside air and guarantee a continuous exchange of internal air, simultaneously contributing to the cooling and ventilation of the environments.
This feature makes them particularly suitable for industrial plants, logistics warehouses, workshops, railway hangars, livestock farms, and all those contexts in which the presence of large openings or the need for continuous air exchanges make conventional air conditioning inefficient.
From the point of view of occupational safety, the improvement of microclimatic conditions achieved through evaporative cooling contributes to reducing thermal discomfort, promoting the well-being of operators, and supporting companies in implementing the prevention measures provided for by the legislation.
Conclusions
Increasingly high summer temperatures are transforming heat risk into one of the main challenges for the world of work.
The new guidelines published in 2025 confirm that microclimate management can no longer be considered a secondary aspect. Protecting workers' health, preventing accidents, and maintaining productivity also depend on the ability to create thermally comfortable work environments.
For companies operating in large industrial environments, intervening in internal climatic conditions does not only mean complying with regulatory obligations, but concretely investing in the well-being of people and the efficiency of the organization.
In this scenario, evaporative coolers represent a technology capable of combining comfort, sustainability, and efficiency, offering a concrete response to the challenges posed by increasingly hot summers.
Do you want to improve the thermal comfort of your plant?
Every production environment has specific characteristics and requires a dedicated technical assessment. For this reason, before choosing a cooling solution, it is important to carefully analyze volumes, layout, air changes, production processes, and real operating conditions.
Discover all the features of Carlieuklima industrial evaporative coolers in the dedicated product sheet or request a free technical consultation: our specialists will help you identify the most suitable solution to improve worker comfort.
Thermal stress and heat stroke: which symptoms must be recognized immediately?
Promptly recognizing the symptoms of heat stress is essential to avoid more serious consequences for workers' health.
In the initial stages, apparently harmless signs may appear such as:
- heavy sweating;
- intense thirst;
- unusual tiredness;
- irritability;
- difficulty concentrating.
As heat exposure progresses, muscle cramps, dizziness, nausea, weakness, and headache may also occur.
When the body can no longer dissipate accumulated heat, it can lead to so-called heat exhaustion, characterized by severe fatigue, mental confusion, and high body temperature. If action is not taken quickly, the situation can evolve into heat stroke, a true medical emergency that can cause loss of consciousness, neurological alterations, and damage to internal organs.
For this reason, it is essential that workers, supervisors, and first aid personnel are adequately trained to recognize symptoms and promptly activate the emergency procedures provided by the company.
Frequently asked questions about heat risk in the workplace
Yes. Legislative Decree 81/2008 requires employers to assess all risks to workers' health and safety, including those arising from microclimate and high temperatures. The 2025 Guidelines expressly reiterate this obligation.
No. Although outdoor workers are particularly exposed, heat risk can also affect indoor environments that are not adequately ventilated, cooled, or insulated. Industrial sheds, logistics warehouses, and workshops can reach high temperatures during the summer season, especially when influenced by external climatic conditions.
The most relevant factors include:
- high temperatures;
- high humidity;
- poor ventilation;
- physically demanding activities;
- insufficient hydration;
- use of PPE or clothing that limits heat dispersion;
- lack of acclimatization of the worker.
The guidelines recommend:
- monitoring climatic conditions;
- ensuring the availability of fresh water;
- providing breaks in comfortable environments;
- training workers on heat risks;
- organizing activities during less critical hours;
- adopting solutions that improve the thermal comfort of work environments.
Yes. While not replacing the organizational and procedural measures provided for by the legislation, evaporative coolers can contribute to improving thermal comfort in large industrial environments, promoting worker well-being and reducing conditions that favor thermal stress.
Because they allow for the treatment of large volumes of air with low energy consumption and guarantee a continuous exchange of internal air. They are particularly effective in environments with large openings, high air changes, or significant volumes, where traditional air conditioning may be inefficient or economically burdensome.
