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Texas Department of Insurance
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Winter safety tips for outside workers

Winter work safety

Cold, slick, icy conditions can make job-related injuries more common. Construction, snow removal, oil and gas, utility repair, police, firefighters, postal carriers, and other outdoor workers can prevent these cold-weather-related injuries by making winter safety a priority.

1 Protect against slips, trips, and falls

Slips, trips, and falls resulted in nearly 13,500 work-related injuries and 96 deaths in Texas in 2019. To reduce injuries, remove ice and snow from parking lots, sidewalks, entryways, and work areas. Clean up water on floors and use temporary signs, cones, barricades, or floor stands to mark hazards. Encourage all employees to wear footwear with heavy treads for traction when working outdoors. Watch for black ice in parking lots, avoid uneven surfaces like steps and curbs, and take it slow in ice and snow.

2 Know the symptoms of cold stress

Cold stress refers to cold-related illnesses that occur when the body can no longer maintain its normal temperature. Low temperatures, wind chill, and wetness contribute to the body’s loss of heat. Cold-related illnesses include trench foot, frostbite, and hypothermia, all of which have possible long-term effects. Call for immediate help if an employee experiences any of these cold stress conditions:

  • Trench foot
    Trench foot is a severe and painful condition of the feet caused by standing in cold water or mud for long periods. Symptoms include redness, tingling, pain, swelling, leg cramps, numbness, and blisters.
  • Frostbite
    Frostbite is an injury caused by the freezing of skin and tissue. Symptoms may include pain, tingling, numbness, clumsiness due to joint or muscle stiffness, hard or waxy-looking skin, or red, white, bluish-white, or grayish-yellow skin. In severe cases, large blisters may occur after rewarming, turning into hard, black skin as the tissue dies.
  • Hypothermia
    Hypothermia occurs when normal body temperature decreases to less than 95 degrees. Signs of hypothermia include shivering, exhaustion, memory loss, slurred speech, jittery hands, sleepiness, and loss of consciousness.

3 Dress for the weather

Exposed flesh can freeze quickly when temperatures and wind chills drop. OSHA recommends three layers of loose-fitting clothes when working in extreme winter temperatures:

  • an inner layer of wool, silk, or synthetic (polypropylene) to keep moisture away from the body;
  • a middle insulating layer of wool or polar fleece-type material; and
  • an outer wind and rain protection layer that allows some ventilation to prevent overheating.

In addition, wear gloves (waterproof, thermal gloves if the job allows), appropriate socks, a hat, and a face covering, as needed. For workers who must wear hardhats, ensure head and face coverings fit under the hardhat suspension. Wear insulated boots in extreme cold or high-topped rubber boots when working in water, mud, or snow.

4 Protect the skin

Ultraviolet rays from the intense Texas sun can cause sunburns and contribute to skin cancer even on cold, overcast winter days. Apply sunscreen with a sun protection factor of 30 or more to exposed skin a half hour before working outside. Choose a sunscreen with moisturizing ingredients like lanolin or glycerin to combat the harsh winter conditions. Remember to protect against chapped, cracked lips by regularly applying lip balm.

5 Bring the heat

Sipping hot coffee, tea, or hot chocolate from an insulated container throughout the day can help employees endure the cold weather and stay hydrated. Likewise, hot meals in a thermos can warm the body. Provide a warm place for outdoor employees to use during breaks and lunch when possible.

6 Know when it is too cold to work

Employers need to know the wind chill temperature to gauge workers’ exposure risks. For example, when the air temperature is 40 degrees, and the wind speed is 35 mph, the wind chill is 28 degrees. To protect workers, employers need to provide employees with more breaks and an extended lunch period in a warm location when the wind chill drops.  (Local ordinances in Austin and Dallas guarantee construction workers one 10-minute break every four hours.) 


For more winter safety tips and ways to respond to trench foot, frostbite, and hypothermia, download DWC’s Cold Stress Prevention Fact Sheet.

 

For more information, contact: HealthSafety@tdi.texas.gov

Last updated: 3/22/2021