As I was walking through the store last night I noted all the Fall and Halloween decorations in the aisles. The fall season is upon us and that means winter will be knocking at our door sooner rather than later. OSHA made it very clear this past spring that heat stress was a serious concern that should be addressed by employers this summer. Many of us heard about the enforcement efforts enacted by OSHA during days with higher heat index’s. While OSHA does not have a specific standard on Cold Weather Stress, the General Duty Clause states we must protect workers from known hazards. This means we should be planning and preparing to protect our workforce from the effects of colder temperatures. We should be providing training on what cold stress is, the effects of cold stress, first aid options and the importance of proper clothing when working outdoors. However, winter safety goes beyond just cold stress. We should be thinking about preventing slips/trips/falls outdoors with proper parking and sidewalk maintenance (have you updated your plowing and salting contracts?) and indoor precautions with the use of floor coverings to absorb slush and snow at entry ways. Do you have staff that drives for your company? Then it may be time to provide winter driver safety training and conducting inspections on vehicle tires, wiper blades, and emergency kits and ensuring staff knows when work may be delayed or canceled due to inclement weather.
Cold weather and snow will be upon us sooner rather than later so a little prevention today may help eliminate an injury tomorrow. If you have questions on training ideas, cold weather protocols or how you should best prepare for the coming season, let me know.