December Safety Training: Cold Safety

Temperature extremes can be dangerous to both people and property. Like extreme heat, severe cold can lead to injuries and equipment malfunctions that negatively impact productivity and morale. Cold safety training can keep employees safe at home, work and on their commutes.

An effective program should include practical tips for mitigating the risks of extreme cold. School administrators, corporate managers, government officials and hospital directors can develop (or update) internal policies to increase flexibility and allow non-essential personnel to work from home during winter storms.

Cold can cause severe injuries and property damage

Cold weather can impact workers before they even get to their offices. Statistics show that snowy and icy roads cause over 116,800 injuries and 1,300 deaths yearly. Extremely cold weather can be fatal; there are approximately 25,000 deaths in the U.S. each year attributed to hypothermia. The National Safety Council indicates that there were 262 fatalities in 2021 due to winter storms and cold, and winter weather directly caused 254 injuries in the U.S.

Cold-related injuries and deaths don’t just occur at home or on the roads. In 2020, severe weather caused 55 fatal occupational injuries, and over 40% of those injuries were attributed to ice, snow or sleet.

There are financial consequences of cold weather as well. Winter storms often suspend operations for schools and businesses. Retail spending, especially at brick-and-mortar locations, tends to slow down during cold weather. Ice and snow from severe winter storms can damage buildings and roads, leading to unplanned outages and closures.

Cold safety training topics

Organizations can mitigate the dangers of cold weather by taking preventative measures and training their workers.

• Cold weather risks: Cold winter weather can bring ice, snow and sleet, which can create dangerous road conditions. Extremely cold weather can also cause frostbite and/or hypothermia, especially when individuals don’t have adequate protection (e.g., warm clothing, coats, scarves and gloves).
• Warning signs of hypothermia and frostbite: Frostbite generally affects fingers, toes, ears and other extremities. Numbness is a common symptom, as is skin that looks abnormally white or feels waxy. Shivering, confusion, exhaustion and drowsiness are common signs of hypothermia. A body temperature below 95°F requires immediate medical attention.
• Resources and protective equipment: Encourage workers to dress properly for cold weather and wear appropriate shoes. If employees must work outdoors in winter weather, provide personal protective equipment and schedule frequent breaks in warm areas.
• Emergency protocols: Develop emergency procedures for winter storms and cold weather. Ensure administrators know how to send emergency alerts to workers when conditions require evacuation or prevent commuting to work.

In most cases, business owners bear the responsibility of keeping their sidewalks and grounds clear of ice and snow. Organizations should be aware of any additional cold-weather precautions required by local or federal laws.

Help your workforce stay safe in cold weather

Snow, ice, sleet and extremely cold temperatures can be dangerous, threatening operations and contributing to thousands of injuries and deaths each year in businesses, educational institutions, healthcare facilities and government organizations. Cold safety training should cover the dangers of cold weather and the precautions workers can take to protect themselves. Administrators can also protect their people by instituting cold-weather policies, such as allowing employees to work from home when roads are snowy.

Winter storms can damage buildings and equipment and cause power outages. During these crisis situations, administrators must maintain constant communication with their workers. Rave Mobile Safety facilitates critical communications via multichannel mass notifications. Employers can send emergency alerts to inform recipients of winter storms, road hazards, outages and schedule changes. Managers can also use polls and status checks to verify that their team members are safe.

Along with a mass notification system, Rave Mobile Safety offers additional communication tools to support normal operations and crisis scenarios. Incident collaboration tools connect administrators with local authorities and 9-1-1, and our mobile-based tools include key safety features like a virtual escort and panic button app. We offer several prepackaged solutions and customizable options. To learn more, contact our team today.