Video Q&A - How is the Industrial Sector’s awareness around hydration in the workplace?

Hydration and electrolyte beverages are prevalent and basically "no-brainers" within the sporting world. They are just as important to the industrial workforce. Is the industrial sector up to speed on the importance of electrolyte replenishment? Listen to hydration expert, Bubba Wolford boil it down.

Jamie: So, me being green, I've been in the construction industry for 25 years. Being from Canada, I watched a lot of hockey, watched a lot of football. On your website, I see the word “industrial athlete”. Are we behind the times, do you think? You see, every sporting event, there are electrolyte drinks. Gatorade is everywhere, Powerade. These athletes, you know, they know, right? They're not drinking water on the bench. They're drinking — they're replenishing those electrolytes. Why are we so far behind the science with the workforce? They know hydration is an issue. They know that heat stress is an issue, and it's a big issue. We talk about it all the time on Safeopedia. Why aren't there standards in place to put those electrolytes in there?

(Learn more about Electrolytes: What They Are and Why They Matter for On-the-Job Hydration.)

Bubba: That's a great question. And I don't know the answer to that question. I absolutely could give you my opinion, but that's a path that they’re careful to go down for a lot of different reasons. But what I can say, that I've been in this business for 10 years, and I would get the argument 10 years ago from a safety professional that electrolytes were not needed. Water is enough. I can tell you, very rarely do I ever get that argument. The education has been increased. The information on dehydration from companies, from organizations like the Mayo Clinic, for example, which we use a lot, they do a lot of research on dehydration. So, just the overall awareness is a lot harder today than it used to be. So, not as big of an issue of companies not agreeing to supply electrolytes.