Everyone appreciates the summer holiday break; it is a time for family and the Australian summer is generous with making late evening gatherings possible.

We do not confine our social activities to only the summer holidays, while the weather is good to us the social activities continue. This has a potentially negative impact on our work, which combined with hot days is a risk for all workplaces.

Social activities after work mean that we may be burning the candle at both ends; hot nights mean that we may not be sleeping well. In the Australian states where daylight savings is in place the longer hotter days have an impact on sleeping time even without social activities.

We all know that on hot days we need to drink lots of water, however during social activities this can be forgotten and water is often replaced with alcohol.

There is a confluence of increasing risk for all workers in the in the summer. Consider the possible after work activities for any worker.

• Social gathering after work or on the weekend.
• Stayed up late because it was too hot to sleep
• Poor sleep due to the heat
• Wake up and go to work feeling ill-prepared for the workday.
• Drink a caffeinated or 2 drink to help wake up

Once workers arrive at the workplace under these conditions, they can be under-hydrated, poorly slept and over-caffeinated. This is a risky combination and not surprisingly these conditions are the cause of increased incidents and injuries in the workplace in summer.

There are some simple steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of incidents and injuries in the workplace.

• Start each shift with a water break and a discussion about the work to be done.
• If possible modify the work or the method or place of the work to reduce exposure to direct sunlight or heat.
• Plan and arrange for more frequent breaks from work in an air-conditioned or cool and shady spot.
• Make sure that during each break each worker drinks at least ½ litre of water.
• Provide icy treats during work breaks.
• Provide your workplace with urine colour charts* in the toilets to assist workers to assess their level of hydration.
• Ensure that toolbox discussions about hydration include information about the danger of caffeinated drinks causing dehydration.

* Urine colour charts can be readily printed from the Internet