Tips to Protect Workers in Cold Weather
Tips to Protect Workers in Cold Weather
Since we’re in the middle of winter, what better time to consider a few safety tips for yourself and your employees. Cold weather brings a long a whole set of challenges when it comes to staying safe. Some are obvious and others not so obvious.
Ideally, we want to be proactive and prevent injuries/illnesses from occurring in the first place. We can do that by edcuating ourselves and others which I’ve listed some things below. Take the time during your staff or safety meeting to go over a few of these things, and don’t assume everyone knows this stuff.
From a legal stand point, it could very easily be called into question whether you provided the necessary resources and education to your employees. So not only are you taking care of your workers, but you’re also looking out for your organization.
Below you’ll find several tips to protect workers in cold weather.
How to Protect Workers
- Educate about how to prevent cold weather emergencies
- Stay hydrated. We don’t think of hydration during the winter because we’re not sweating and parched but it still happens.
- Avoid caffeinated beverages (soda, coffee, etc)
- Eat high carb foods to provide ample energy for your body to stay warm
- Provide first aid kits which include emergency blankets and heat packs in all work vehicles and on all job sites.
- Educate workers on how to recognize the early signs of cold emergencies. Not spotting these signs early can make treating the problem much more difficult.
- Make sure workers take adequate breaks inside a warm area
- Prevent fatigue. Our bodies rely on energy to keep us warm. If we get fatigued, we become much more susceptible to cold-related illnesses.
If you have specific questions or stories you’d like to share, please leave them in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!
Other resources
COLD WEATHER SAFETY TIPS FOR THE WORKPLACE
https://youtu.be/NMXxygiCOQA
