Dehydration is a very common heat‐related illness that can be life threatening if left untreated.
Symptoms commonly associated with a heat-related illness include:
- Headache
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Irritability
- Confusion
- Thirst
- Heavy sweating
- Muscle cramps
- Temperature greater than 100.4°F
But are there any other indications which alert us of our body’s hydration status?
Understanding Your Pee
Have you ever noticed changes in the color of your urine? If so, that is your body’s way of communicating its needs. Dehydration is caused when the volume of water in the body is depleted. Therefore, our urine becomes more concentrated with a darker appearance.
Take a look at the chart below, developed by urinecolors.com. As you will notice, the colors become progressively darker as the body is less hydrated.
Educate Staff
By educating employees of the signs and symptoms of dehydration and heat related injuries, they are able to take a more active role in prevention.
Need a topic to discuss at your next safety meeting? Download our free 2017 Heat Related Do’s and Don’ts guide.
Holly is an ER nurse by trade, but loves content marketing. She was born outside the box and believes everything is better with “sprinkles and sparkles”. She is passionate about impacting lives and uses marketing as her platform for sharing practical solutions to address real life occupational health challenges.
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