Before you start: check today's wind chill
Wind makes cold air pull heat from skin faster, so the thermometer alone undersells the risk. OSHA gives this example:
“For example, when the air temperature is 40°F, and the wind speed is 35mph, the wind chill temperature is 28°F”
Look up the wind chill for your site before the shift, and pay extra attention to anyone new to the crew or just back from time off. OSHA singles out both groups as people who may not be used to working in the cold. [OSHA]
Read this to your crew
1. Why cold weather hurts people
Your body makes heat, and cold air, wind and water take it away. When you lose heat faster than you make it, your skin cools first, then your core. Being wet is the big multiplier: wet feet lose heat 25 times faster than dry feet, and hypothermia can set in on a 40-something day if your clothes are soaked with rain or sweat. [OSHA]
2. The four cold injuries and what you will notice
| Injury | What you notice |
|---|---|
| Hypothermia | Shivering you cannot stop is the early warning. Worse cases bring clumsiness, confusion, slurred speech, slow breathing and passing out. [OSHA] |
| Frostbite | Red skin turning gray or white on fingers, toes, nose or ear lobes, with tingling, aching, numbness, hard skin or blisters. [OSHA] |
| Trench foot | Red, numb, tingling, painful or swollen feet, leg cramps and blisters, after hours in wet boots. [OSHA] |
| Chilblains | Red, itchy, inflamed skin that may blister, from repeated exposure just above freezing. [OSHA] |
The danger with hypothermia is that it slows your thinking, so the person who has it is often the last to notice. [OSHA] That is why you watch each other.
3. What this site provides
- A warm, dry place for short breaks, used often. [OSHA]
- Warm, sweet drinks. No alcohol. [OSHA]
- The coldest jobs moved to the warmest part of the day where we can. [NIOSH (CDC)]
- Extra hands or relief on long jobs, and less time outside on the worst days. [NIOSH (CDC)]
- The buddy system: nobody works alone in the cold. [OSHA]
- Radiant heaters where they make sense. [OSHA]
4. What you do
- Wear several loose layers: loose layers insulate better. Watch for clothing that restricts how you move, which NIOSH warns can be dangerous. [NIOSH (CDC)]
- Cover your ears, face, hands and feet, and wear a hat. [NIOSH (CDC)]
- Boots should be waterproof and insulated. Carry spare socks, gloves, a hat and a jacket. [NIOSH (CDC)]
- Keep bare skin off cold metal. [NIOSH (CDC)]
- Snack on high carbohydrate food through the shift, and warm up in the break area during breaks. [OSHA]
- Keep an eye on yourself and your buddy for the signs in the table. [NIOSH (CDC)]
5. If someone is hurt
Call 911 in an emergency. Then follow OSHA's first aid, word for word:
Hypothermia
“Move the worker to a warm room or vehicle.”
“Remove any wet clothing and replace with dry clothing. Wrap the entire body (including the head and neck) in layers of blankets; and with a vapor barrier (e.g. tarp, garbage bag) Do not cover the face.”
“Give warm sweetened drinks if alert (no alcohol), to help increase the body temperature. Never try to give a drink to an unconscious person.”
Frostbite
Do not rub it and do not rewarm it yourself.
“DO NOT rub or massage the affected area, because rubbing causes damage to the skin and tissue.”
“If a frostbitten area is rewarmed and gets frozen again, more tissue damage will occur. It is safer for the frostbitten area to be rewarmed by medical professionals.”
Trench foot
“Remove wet shoes/boots and wet socks.”
“Dry the feet and avoid working on them.”
Questions for the crew
- Where is the warm break area on this site, and how often are we using it?
- What is the first sign of hypothermia, and why might the person with it not notice?
- Whose boots or gloves got wet this week, and do they have a dry spare pair today?
What the law says
“Although OSHA does not have a specific standard that covers working in cold environments, under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) of 1970 , employers have a duty to protect workers from recognized hazards, including cold stress hazards, that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm in the workplace.”
OSHA also lists what cold stress training should cover: the conditions that lead to it, its symptoms and first aid, and how to choose clothing for cold, wet and windy weather. [OSHA] This talk covers each of those.