Page 8 - OHS, September 2020

WINTER HAZARDS
Winter Hazards Preparation Should Kick Off in the Fall Months
Fall is on its way, and so are cold and ice hazards. Make sure your business is prepared for the elements and your workers’ safety.
BY DAN KILLINS
When fall colors return and weather starts to turn brisk, the nation’s nearly 31 million small businesses and their nearly 60 million workers should take their cue to prepare for the coming winter and the workplace safety hazards it brings.1
There were 20,460 ice, sleet and snow-related workplace injuries in 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) The Economics Daily report.2 When workers go down with injuries, it costs small businesses a loss in productivity, business and time. It can also lead to possible fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and higher workers’ compensation premiums. For the injured, it can put a strain of their families with lost income, lowered morale and personal stress.
Cold and winter workplace injuries can be best avoided with proper preparation. Here are some of the most common winter hazards and how to best prepare for them.
Common Cold-Stress Injuries
Cold-stress illnesses and injuries are hazards that can keep employees away from work for a significant amount of time, which hurts productivity and morale. The most common of these winter injuries include hypothermia, frostbite and trench foot.
Hypothermia happens during prolonged exposure to cool or cold temperatures, which can cause the body to lose heat faster than it can produce it and makes body temperature drop below 95 degrees, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).3 It is a serious health threat, even in moderately cool temperatures. If the body’s core temperature stays too low for too long, it affects the brain and renders a victim unable to think clearly or move well. Symptoms include shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech and drowsiness. If left untreated, the condition can be deadly.
When the body is exposed to the cold for so long, layers of skin freeze and the body loses feeling and color in affected areas, which is known as frostbite.4 This can permanently damage the body and, in extreme cases, can require amputation. The most common spots for frostbite are the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers and toes. Early symptoms include redness or pain in any skin area followed by a white or grayish-yellow skin area. The skin affected feels unusually firm and waxy and is usually numb.
Trench foot is a foot injury caused by prolonged exposure to wet and cold conditions.5 However, it can also occur in temperatures as cool as 60 degrees if feet stay wet for too long. Symptoms typically include reddening skin, tingling, pain swelling, numbness, cramping and blisters.
The first line of defense against any cold-stress injury is proper clothing. Workers exposed to the elements during cold-weather months must be dressed appropriately to stay warm. This includes water- resistant coats and boots, mittens and gloves, several layers of loose-fitting clothing, hats, scarves or balaclava that cover the face and mouth. Workers should try to stay as dry as possible and take regular breaks to warm up either inside or in sheltered, dry spaces.
The CDC recommends small business owners schedule outdoor work in cold areas for warmer months or warmer times of the day; cut back on workers’ physical demands; bring in relief workers or extra workers for tough and time-consuming jobs and offer warm liquids.6
Before winter hits, small business owners should also develop a rapid response plan. They should train employees to recognize the signs of cold-stress illnesses and what to do to help themselves or their co-workers. If medical care is not available, workers should begin warming the person, as follows:
8 Occupational Health & Safety | SEPTEMBER 2020
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Get the victim into a warm room or shelter. Remove any wet clothing.
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