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With summer over, cold wet weather is not far away. Workplace safety is important for those workers who are outdoors working. Unfavorable weather conditions can cause health problems that are severe such as frostbite and hypothermia. In addition to cold and wet weather, wind is also a danger. With a blowing or gusty wind, cold wet weather is dangerous even if the temperature is above freezing.

Fortunately, by staying aware of your surroundings and using simple precautions you can avoid dangerous illnesses such as hypothermia and frostbite. A buddy system is a good idea for outdoor workers too. Know the signs of cold stress to look for it in yourself and your co-workers when your team works outside in cold climates.

Following are some cold weather safety tips for workers.

Frostbite

Frostbite is a medical term used when your skin and body tissue start to freeze because of exposure to cold weather. Your body’s most vulnerable parts are extremities including the nose and ears, fingers and toes.

Frostbite can come on quickly. Symptoms can include,

*A tingling sensation much like pins and needles.
*Numbness
*Pain
*Pale or waxy skin that hardens
*Protective thermal clothing such as gloves, socks and a ski mask are helpful in deterring frostbite.
Nevertheless, prolonged exposure may cause frostbite even when extremities have some protection.

What to do if you or a coworker has frostbite

*Remove tight clothing and jewelry
*Place affected body parts in warm water bath. Do not use hot water as body tissue needs slow warming to avoid damage
*When normal feeling returns, pat dry the area and cover it to keep it warm
*Go for medical attention
*Notify a supervisor

Hypothermia

Hypothermia is a dangerous illness that happens when your body temperature drops below 95 degrees.

Hypothermia symptoms

Victims of hypothermia have uncontrollable shaking. Other symptoms include:

*Bluish skin (especially fingers and lips)
*Exhaustion
*Irrational behavior
*Irritability
*Uncoordinated movements

Helping hypothermia victims

Hypothermia is a dangerous illness. Take the following steps when a worker displays hypothermia symptoms:

*Call 911 at once
*Move the victim to a warm dry place
*Take off wet clothing and put warm dry clothing on. Wrap the victim in a blanket.
*The victim should drink anything high in sugar such as a sports drink. Avoid caffeinated and alcoholic drinks.
*Make every attempt to keep the victim awake if possible
*Ask the person to move their extremities to make muscle heat

Working in cold, wet weather is physically tiring. In order to cope follow these tips.

*Take short breaks in a dry place often to warm up
*Use layered clothing that you can add or take off as conditions dictate
*Work boots need proper insulation and waterproofing
*Wear the right cold weather clothing
*Use a buddy system and try to work in groups – be aware of the fitness of your co-workers
*Keep clothing changes available so you can change out of clothing that will get wet

All employees need training on the symptoms and emergency treatment for frostbite and hypothermia.

Required by law, Workman’s Compensation Insurance, usually, called worker’s comp protects your employees from injury, illness, and even death that is work related.

Shop Around

Using statistics from The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) insurers determine high and low risk industries. Within the industry, individual employer safety records help when determining a specific insured’s premium. Like everything else, you buy, shopping around pays off as rates do vary from company to company.

Your construction company’s experience part of the premium calculation comes from the three-year rolling average of claims made during the prior four years. The four years comes about, as there is a lag period of one-year.

Employees on a Job Site May Have Other Recourse

Imagine you are a plumbing a subcontractor on a construction job. As the project is multi-stories the general contractor had scaffolding erected. One of your employees was on the second floor running some pipe, and the scaffolding gave way. Your employee fell two stories and severely injured his back. Because of his injury, he suffered three months of no work (lost wages) and required extensive physical and occupational therapy (medical costs). Extended physical labor is out of the question as it causes a great deal of pain (disability claim). It looks like you will take a hit on your workers comp experience rating, as this is a large claim.

But wait, you may want to join with your employee or your insurance company in a lawsuit against the scaffolding company as an investigation proved the scaffold was improperly put up. The scaffolding company had other similar lawsuits against it yet the general contractor hired them. Your employee and your workers comp insurance company can sue the general contractor for negligence in hiring a company with a bad safety record. If the insurance company receives an award because of the lawsuit, the hit on your experience rating is not as bad. The impact on your future premiums is less than if your insurance company paid all expenses related to your employee’s claim.

Take-Aways

* Comparison shop for the best rates for your construction company’s worker’s comp insurance.
* Depending on the circumstances of the injury, others parties could be responsible under product liability or third-party liability claims. Work with your insurance company to keep their payout as small as possible to keep your premium low.
* Employers with good safety records pay less than employers who have poor safety records.

All businesses have an obligation to offer a safe and healthy workplace for their employees. This obligation is more than a moral one; it is the law. According to the federal website Business USA, in 2010 more than 3.1 million nonfatal injuries happened to workers while on the job. The site explains further:

“Under the provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, as the employer, you must provide a workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing, or are likely to cause, death or serious physical harm to your employees regardless of the size of your business. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was established to create standards and regulations that implement the Act.”

The number of pages that OSHA has for implementing, regulating, and enforcing workplace safety is in the tens of thousands — far too many to go over in one blog post. But, OSHA requires all employers to have a plan for when an employee suffers an injury or illness on the job. Following are some tips to help you with yours.

1.  Seek medical attention. Sometimes, injuries do not have symptoms for hours or even days after they occur. Have a doctor check your employee out with the tests they consider proper.

2.  Document the incident as soon after the incident as possible. Talk with anyone who saw the incident. Take photos and if needed, draw diagrams. Your business should have an accident/injury report form. Make sure your documentation complies with OSHA reporting and documentation record keeping policies. The rules differ for small employers (10 or fewer employees) but your worker’s comp carrier also may have specific documentation requirements no matter what size your business is; check with them.

3.  Provide reports, if applicable. While all businesses have OSHA regulations governing them, some states have added requirements. The United States Department of Labor provides state-by-state reporting requirements.

Every state requires you to carry worker’s comp insurance for good reason. In addition, under OSHA you need to pay for medical expenses and give injured employees short-term or long-term disability leave.
OSHA and worker’s comp exist to protect employees from on the job injuries and illness and to care for them if such incidents happen.

Best practices and laws, policies and rules are important foundations for building a workplace safety program. But, they are not nearly enough. A truly safe working environment is then management and line employees share in the workplace safety effort. Employees who name a hazard should never feel threatened or that he or she will be subject to recriminations. Words of praise are the least for alert people and tickets to a sporting event, movie, or show let them know their alertness counts. Following are some common issues found in most workplaces that management and floor employees should look for.

1. Identify Hazardous Places
When employees first start, assign a person to take them on a tour. Point any places that are hazardous, even if proper signage is up. Explain to new employees the nature of the hazard and if they need protective clothing in the area.

2. Instruct employees in a way to maintain the right posture to protect their backs.
People, who work at desks, keep your shoulders lined up with your hip to avert back issues. Any worker who has to pick something up needs to know the correct position of the back to avoid injury. So do not stoop or twist. Whenever possible use ergonomically designed furniture and equipment to protect your back. Ergonomic equipment and furniture help keep your muscular-skeletal system in the proper place.

3. Report unsafe conditions.
The span of management keeps getting larger. Managers have more difficulty walking through their areas to make sure all areas are safe. They are dependent on their workers to help find unsafe conditions. Safety is everyone’s job — as soon as you suspect a condition is not safe report it to your manager.

4. Be aware of your surroundings.
If you work on a factory floor, in the fulfillment center or a warehouse be aware of your surroundings. Forklifts are racing around keeping to their schedules and intersections are especially dangerous. Walk the floor with the same caution, you do when crossing the street at a busy intersection.

5. Dress for safety.
Always make sure you have the proper safety equipment on. Hard hats, goggles, ear protection, and other safety items significantly cut the amount of employee injuries and illnesses.

Managers who share these and other safety tips with their team show that they care about their employees past “legislative directions.” This caring attitude goes a long way towards employee safety awareness, less on the job injuries, and higher productivity thanks to improved morale.