Introducing Heat Index to Verkada Air Quality Sensors

The summer of 2024 was widely reported as the hottest global summer on record, inviting the question of how employers can better protect their workforce from hazardous heat. When it comes to assessing heat-related health risks, experts and regulatory bodies are increasingly considering measures beyond temperature.

One such measure is the heat index, which represents a composite of both temperature and humidity. For example, if the temperature is 100℉ and the relative humidity is 55%, the heat index would be 124℉. Conversely, if the temperature is 100℉ and the relative humidity is 15%, the heat index would be 96℉. In essence, by accounting for humidity, the heat index better conveys how hot it actually feels compared to temperature alone. High humidity also often leads to dangerous workplace afflictions like muscle cramps and heat exhaustion, making it all the more important to factor humidity into heat measurements. 

This is why the National Weather Service routinely uses the heat index to issue heat advisories, watches, and warnings. And on the regulatory side, Cal/OSHA recently approved a law requiring employers to track the heat index as part of heat illness prevention efforts in indoor workplaces. More specifically, employers with workspaces reaching a temperature of 82℉ or higher must consistently measure both temperature and the heat index and record the higher of the two values. They must also maintain a rigorous record of these measurements for 12 months. 

Preventing Heat Illness with Verkada Air Quality Sensors

Given these trends, we are pleased to introduce the heat index as a new custom reading to our air quality sensors offering. The heat index combines our existing temperature and humidity readings and uses the National Weather Service’s heat index chart to calculate the reading value. 

Administrators can enable this reading under the settings tab for any given sensor. Like our other readings, organizations can create alerts to be immediately notified whenever the heat index exceeds an acceptable threshold. To support reporting requirements, organizations can also download temperature and heat index data right from Verkada Command. And for instant visibility into cross-site health, organizations can consult the Analytics tab to identify workspaces with persistent high heat index events and take meaningful action to better protect workers, like providing heat protective equipment, redefining worker schedules, and more. 

Availability

The heat index reading is supported across our SV21, SV23, and SV25 air quality sensors and will be available on November 21, 2024 in all regions. For more information, please email [email protected] or contact your Verkada sales representative.