How to choose the best protective drink for your employees

How to stand up to the duty of protective drinks

All employees are entitled to drinking water, but when the temperature rises above 27 °C, the employer must provide so-called protective drinks. These are not only about water - ideally, it is about mineral water, because we lose not only fluids but also important minerals when we sweat.

Which drink to choose and which not to?

Everyone has different needs when it comes to fluid intake. It depends on age, health, physical activity, environment and diet. For a healthy adult, about 35 ml of fluids per 1 kg of body weight per day is recommended. This can increase with exercise or heat.

We lose about 2.5 litres of water per day (through urine, stool, sweat and breathing), which we need to replenish." Under normal circumstances, a person should take in about 2-3 litres of water a day, with around 1 litre taken in from food and 1.5-2 litres remaining for drinks," says Marie Kohutová, head of the Medical Nutrition Department at Olomouc University of Applied Sciences. If we sweat excessively, e.g. during sports, exertion or in a hot environment, we lose water and minerals and it is appropriate to supplement these adequately, preferably with natural mineral water or suitable ionic drinks.

What does the law mandate?

According to government regulations and OSH guidelines, employers must provide protective drinks if employees lose 70% of fluids and minerals (1.25 litres) during working hours. The law specifies which drinks are suitable: they must be harmless to health, weakly or moderately mineralized, spring or baby water. Lemonade with more than 6.5% sugar is taboo, but low-alcohol beer (up to 1% alcohol) may be a good choice as long as it is not served to minors.

How many drinks per employee?

Consider at least 1.5 litres of protective drink per eight-hour shift, and if working in high temperatures or outdoors, up to 2.5 litres. For a company with twenty employees, this means 28 packages of six 1.5l PET bottles per week. The Czech family company AG FOODS is one of the leading suppliers of beverage solutions for offices. Mineralized protective drinks for supplementing vitamins and minerals are excellent both during physically demanding work and for employees who work at more than 27 degrees.

“Consider purchasing instant protective drinks that are easier to store and distribute, just dissolve them in tap water. And since protective drinks are also provided to people working in a cold environment, below 4 degrees Celsius, the advantage is that you can also pour mixtures such as Vitamaxima Strong with hot water," advises Jiří Jízdný from AG Foods. You can dissolve these mixtures in tap water, and in a cold environment also in hot water.

Don't forget fun and education!

Whether you choose a mineral water or an ionizer, don't forget to inform the staff about the importance of hydration and how to choose the right drinks. You can organize educational workshops or interactive lectures, where you will explain everything about the drinking regime, the effect of fluids on health and how to take care of your body in a hot environment.

In short, choosing the right protective drink can be a fun and educational process that will help keep your employees fresh, healthy and productive, even in the Saharan heat outside!