The Importance of Providing a Proper Hydration Environment
By Mike Markovsky
We can all relate to that unmistakable sensation we call thirst, but what most of us do not know is that it comes about in an advanced stage of dehydration. Physical dehydration is dangerous and can have a profound impact on employees work performance and a businesses’ success, depending on each individual’s state of dehydration and awareness of thirst signals.
Recently, the harmful effects of personal dehydration have begun to come into focus in the industrial environment. It’s been estimated that up to 80% of the U.S. adult population goes through their normal day in at least a mildly dehydrated state. A growing body of evidence points to dehydration as one of the most widespread and least understood dangers on the job.
A number of studies have linked dehydration to lower physical and mental performance. For example, Wasterlund and Chaseling1 studied forest workers in a controlled environment, where one group was properly hydrated and the other dehydrated to an extent of about 1% of body weight loss. The result was a 12% decrease in productivity from the dehydrated group.
There are many more studies that attained comparable results. With respect to mental performance, Gopinthan et al.2 studied the effects of dehydration on decision-making and cognitive performance; the study concluded that visual motor tracking, short-term memory, attention and arithmetic efficiency were all impaired at dehydration levels of 2% of body weight or more.
Assessing hydration status
The conventional wisdom of “eight glasses a day” doesn’t hold water (pun intended) when one considers the wide variety of body sizes, shapes, states of wellness and the level of outside influences to which each individual is subjected daily.
Assessing urine color, although it has limitations, is one of the best methods of superficially monitoring hydration. This obviously personal assessment certainly involves the individual employee’s commitment and best intentions.
Hydration action planning
Improving overall employee hydration is best accomplished through the use of a three-pronged approach: education, assessment, and implementation of best practices for encouraging fluid intake during the work day.
Education — The most critical component of keeping employees hydrated is educating the employee on understanding dehydration issues and solutions. The personal benefits of proper hydration span all facets of a person’s life. The cognitive and performance-based advantages gained from good hydration at work will, obviously, be available after work, as well. From an employee’s perspective, proper hydration involves a decision to monitor their hydration levels regularly, improve if necessary, and then make staying hydrated habitual regular part of their daily routine.
Companies should make hydration education an ongoing part of employee communications. Employees should be made aware of the downside of drinking soda and coffee as it relates to hydration. Both contain caffeine, which is a diuretic that will act to further dehydrate the body. Consumption of diuretics must be compensated for by an even greater amount of water intake to offset the dehydration effects. This and other pertinent facts should be reinforced consistently through training and visual reminders.
Assessment — The best way to assess hydration status, given the variables of body mass, work routines and other environmental and personal issues, is to monitor urine color. Urine that is clear to light yellow is a reasonable indicator of proper hydration. However, it may take up to 24 hours for the body to assimilate sufficient additional fluids to fully rehydrate itself. A key part of urine assessment is consistent hydration and consistent monitoring- with this urine color will become more stable. Local hospitals usually have staff that will be eager to help build your educational programs.
Implementation — The critical third facet in the hydration plan is making drinking water very readily accessible and appealing. While plumbing codes mandate the availability of drinking fountains in commercial buildings, they do not cover either maintenance or water quality issues. With respect to maintenance, consider your own personal acceptance of drinking fountains in your workplace. Are the facilities for providing drinking water inviting enough for you to use them regularly? Remember that you are asking employees to use these facilities more frequently than before as part of your increased hydration initiative. How does the water taste?
Many companies moved to 5-gallon jugs or single-serve bottled water over the years. While that approach can certainly encourage hydration, it is both expensive and environmentally insensitive. In the U.S. alone, we consume 50 billion single-serve (half liter) bottles of water each year and throw away 30-40 billion of those containers in landfills. Bottled water may handle the access to acceptable water issue, but it inevitably creates other problems.
Consider upgrading your existing installed drinking fountains with advanced products that encourage use and can become an active part of your hydration reminder program. Chilled water, filtered to remove any trace of chlorine, taste, odor, lead and cysts and served through a hygienic dispenser will allay most all sanitary fears.
Encouraging employee hydration can have a significant positive impact on your company’s overall performance and safety record, as well as the general welfare and health of your staff. But, it requires a firm commitment on the part of management, complete buy-in from employees who will be asked to alter their personal habits and continuous reinforcement from all involved. n
Mike Markovsky is vice president of marketing for the Haws Corporation, located in Sparks, Nevada. He can be reached at (775) 353-8378 or michaelm@hawsco.com. Haws Corporation designs, manufactures and distributes drinking fountains and emergency equipment that are ranked #1 in quality by specifiers in both product categories. The company’s latest innovation, the Hydration Station™, provides great tasting, filtered water from a touch-free, hygienic dispenser. See it at www.stayhydrated.net.
References
1. Wasterlund DS, Chaseling J, Burstrom L: The effect of fluid consumption on the forest workers’ performance strategy. Appl Ergon 35:29-36, 2004
2. Gopinathan PM, Pichan G, Sharma VM: Role of dehydration in heat stress-induced variations in mental performance. Arch Environ Health 43:15-17, 1988.