Overcome Climate Control Challenges for your Commercial Garage
If commercial garages are part of your operations, it’s likely you’re facing a number of challenges in keeping your employees safe in that type of work environment. In addition to hazardous substances and heavy machinery, commercial garages are also exposed to varying climate conditions that present their own set of challenges.
When assessing your commercial garage operations, it’s important to consider ways to manage your indoor temperatures to ensure that your employees are able to stay productive in spite of freezing temperatures or sweltering heat.
The following are some steps you can take to overcome climate control challenges in your commercial garage:
Ensure proper ventilation. Work in most commercial facilities often entails the use of hazardous chemicals, including solvents, gas and paints. As a result, you may rely on a system of keeping your garage door open to ensure that the area is properly insulated. However, in the event of inclement weather, you’re typically faced with one of two choices: Keep the garage door closed and avoid using potentially hazardous materials during that time; or keep the garage door open but subject your staff to uncomfortable working conditions.
As a more effective solution, have a professional garage technician evaluate your facility to identify ventilation solutions that meet OSHA requirements.
Install commercial-grade insulated garage doors. In many cases, a significant amount of air can seep in through the garage door – the most massive opening of your facility.
With the steel roller shutters that are used in many garages, you face two problems. The steel surface attracts heat – making the inside of your facility even hotter during the summer. They also are insufficient in guarding against the winter chill. As a result, your employees are faced with unpleasant working conditions.
On the other hand, an insulated sectional garage door – which includes solid core insulation – creates a barrier against the outdoor elements. Not only will your employees have more tolerable working conditions during inclement weather, your organization also will benefit from increased energy efficiency.
Talk to your garage door specialist about the varying levels of insulation in garage doors, which is measured in R-values. Insulation that comes with a higher R-value is generally considered more effective than insulation with a lower R-value.
Insulate your facility. Another consideration is the insulation in your overall facility. An investment in insulation or an upgrade over your current insulation can improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling elements.
Close off any gaps. In addition to your garage door, your windows and entry doors could be contributing to unwanted cool or hot air getting into your facilities. If you have windows, make sure they are energy efficient. You also can invest in an easy, inexpensive fix by installing weather stripping around any doors to prevent cold air from seeping into the facility.
Be selective with your lighting. It’s important to remember that lighting could be a factor in creating intolerable working conditions, especially if you’re using fluorescent lights. Consider replacing them with the more energy-efficient – and cooler – option of LED lighting.
Install an industrial dust collector. If your facility generates a lot of dust resulting from sanding, cutting or grinding, it’s likely that general cleaning will not be sufficient for keeping particles out of the environment. Industrial dust collectors are designed to keep the air circulating while pulling dirty particles through a filtration system.
By investing in major and minor upgrades throughout your facility, you can create a work environment that’s more energy-efficient and tolerable for your employees.