Workplace Safety and Cold - Brrrrr!

Photo by NIOSH
One workplace safety hazard I never considered until recently was the weather, specifically cold weather. I live in frick’n cold Wisconsin. A good friend (who lives in frick’n cold Minnesota) shared about his new job where he works outside installing satellite dishes. I asked if work was ever canceled because of the weather conditions - he said never. I found that concerning. Working on a slippery roof, below freezing weather, and installing stuff… sounds like a recipe for disaster.
I asked around one of the safety groups I belong to and one of the NIOSH guys sent me a great link that discussed the dangers of cold weather: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/coldstress/
If you read through the whole article there are recommendations for employers and workers. I am sorry to say that my friend’s employer does very little to protect the workers. Seems like it takes an injury or death for something to change.
“Employers should take the following steps to protect workers from cold stress:
- Schedule maintenance and repair jobs in cold areas for warmer months.
- Schedule cold jobs for the warmer part of the day.
- Reduce the physical demands of workers.
- Use relief workers or assign extra workers for long, demanding jobs.
- Provide warm liquids to workers.
- Provide warm areas for use during break periods.
- Monitor workers who are at risk of cold stress.
Provide cold stress training that includes information about:
- Worker risk
- Prevention
- Symptoms
- The importance of monitoring yourself and coworkers for symptoms
- Treatment
- Personal protective equipment”
Stay warm and stay safe.
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