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heat in the work place

kennyg

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3
now that the weather has turned a bit cold my general manager has decided to turn the heating up,since he's done this i have had countless hypers and hypos,i have a very physical job,there's no windows as we rely on aircon and airflow systems,what can i do he seems determined.i mentioned it to my team leader but to no avail i dont think he mentioned it to him.either they dont understand or are not bothered.
 
Hi kennyg :)

This wont be easy for you.

Probably the other staff prefer the place to stay warm,

Some may suggest you wear lighter clothes.

You can write a letter regarding your request which may help for a sensible outcome.

Also is it possible for them to move you to a new department or area.

Best of luck to you

Roy. :)
 
kennyg said:
now that the weather has turned a bit cold my general manager has decided to turn the heating up,since he's done this i have had countless hypers and hypos,i have a very physical job,there's no windows as we rely on aircon and airflow systems,what can i do he seems determined.i mentioned it to my team leader but to no avail i dont think he mentioned it to him.either they dont understand or are not bothered.
i wear overalls and nothing underneath and i am based all over the building
 
kennyg said:
i wear overalls and nothing underneath and i am based all over the building

Are you Scottish? :wink:

Sorry mind working overtime!!

Hope you are able to come to an agreement somehow. Have you asked your fellow workmates if they would mind if the temperature was slightly lower? Maybe if you can get them on your side the Boss would go along with it perhaps.
Also have you got a health & safety rep or company medical person? Maybe if you could get a report about it on medical grounds you could change things a bit.

Otherwise I don't know what you can do, tricky situation.
Good luck.
Angie
 
Hi kennyg,

kennyg said:
since he's done this i have had countless hypers and hypos,i have a very physical job,there's no windows as we rely on aircon and airflow systems

Are you sure that what you are experiencing are hypers/hypos? A hypo occurs when your blood sugar drops too low, which is quite possible if you have a very physical job. Working in high temperature can result in you using more energy and cause your blood sugar to drop a bit faster than usual, but not drastically so. A hyper is where your blood sugar is very high, but temperature cannot cause this. Are you checking your blood sugar when this happens?

It could be that what you are experiencing is simply your body becoming overheated as a result of doing physical work in a high temperature - but then it should also have the same effect on your workmates - do they feel it's too hot?

Dennis
 
Dennis,
I have found at times when I am in air conditioned buildings / vehicles or work in hot places indoors my levels run higher than if I am in fresh air so the OP could be getting hyper as well as hypo.
I often do painting & decorating and if I am working in someone's home who doesn't want the windows open (despite the paint fumes) my levels are higher than if I can work with fresh air coming in. They also run higher if I am on coaches / trains or aircraft with forced air and that does take into account the inactivity with sitting still for long periods.
Everyone is different though.
Angie
 
Thanks Angie,

I take your point. The main thing I was trying to get across (perhaps not very successfully) is that we sometimes get so hung up on hypos and hypers that we tend to blame them on things that have nothing to do with our blood sugar levels. The only way to be certain is to test when you feel something isn't right.

Dennis
 
Kenny, whilst the heat may be effecting your diabetes control your employer has a responsibility for the comfort of your colleagues, to avoid hypo's you need to decrease your insulin or up your carbs, to avoid hyper's you'll need to do the reverse.

I find I'm more prone to hypo's when it is hot and have to reduce my insulin accordingly, I would suggest you test your bg more and make adjustments rather than complain, if finding the time to test is an issue then this is something you could raise with your employer.
 
thank you roy,angie and denis i will double check my readings and ask my fellow workers how they feel before i complain kind regards ps not scottish although my son was in the black watch and plays the pipes.
 
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