The colour of your urine is caused by bile, the chemical that your liver produces to break up fat. The more bile is watered down, the clearer it becomes in colour. The less is it broken down, the darker it becomes. The resulting colour usually indicates how well hydrated you are.
In general, the darker the colour of your urine, the more dehydrated you are so keep an eye on your hydration levels during the day by using this simple but effective colour chart (right).
As always, things are not as simple as they seem. Alcohol, cola or coffee are diuretics, which means that you actually expel more liquid than you drink so while your urine may be a pale colour, you are actually dehydrating yourself. Maintain an intake of water with all types of drink.
So the message is, keep up your fluid levels and contact your site health and safety advisor for more information.
Remember, if you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated!
We welcome your comments on this story. Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Please provide your name. Read our have your say guidelines.