 Newsletter
- January/February 2001
Newsletter
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Winter Work Hazards When you work in the cold,
your body uses 60 percent of its fuel just to keep itself warm. Because
of this, you can tire more easily. As you get more tired, you're more prone to
the dangers of winter weather - hypothermia, frostbite and poor awareness. Here's
how to protect yourself: Acclimate to the cold.
Before you
launch fully into outside work, give your body a chance to get used to the cold.
Take enough breaks.
Take turns with some co-workers on being
outside. As one person tries to warm up, the other is outside working. Wear
Layers.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends
that workers wear three specific layers of clothing to stave off the cold and
wet: 1. An outer layer that serves as a windbreaker, but allows for ventilation.
2. A second layer that absorbs sweat and still insulates 3. A third layer
close to the skin that is thinner and allows for ventilation Get
extra protection for hands and head.
Your mother was right to make you
wear a hat in the winter. It can help retain the 40 percent of body heat that
would otherwise escape from your head. If you have to wear a
hard hat, use a hart-hat liner that covers your ears, cheeks and chin.
And always wear the proper hand gloves. Make sure they're neither too small, which
can further restrict blood flow to your fingers, nor too large, which can get
caught in machinery. Insulate your feet. In addition to wearing warm woolen socks,
use insulating muffs around your ankles and over the top of our work shoes. Cold,
Hard Facts Here are some of the physiological changes that happen in
your body when it's exposed to the cold: -
Frostbite literally
is your tissue freezing. Ice crystals form between cells and cause the affected
are to turn white and cold. -
When your body's core temperature
f 98.6 degrees lowers even just 3.6 degrees, you'll experience symptoms like lethargy,
shivering, mental confusion and decreased motor function. When the body temperature
falls below 90 degrees, humans run the risk of heart failure.
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