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Kansas Worker Safety

February 28th, 2007 Posted by Amelia

With the worst winter weather behind us, it’s easy to forget the hazards to Kansas worker safety posed by icy temperatures. That’s why OSHA recently released a special advisory on weather hazards to emergency workers and others who work outdoors.

Wet and windy conditions, even on a day as warm as 50 degrees, can pose substantial risk of cold-related injury or illness to people working outdoors for long periods.

Emergency service personnel are especially at risk but so are people employed in the agriculture, landscaping, construction, forestry, and roadwork fields. OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, advises anyone in these industries to stay vigilant to the dangers posed by the weather.

Kansas worker safety is jeopardized even further when certain situations combine. Four situations to be especially wary of are cold air temperatures, wind, dampness, and contact with cold water or chilly surfaces.

An example of the combined danger of these conditions is commonly known as the wind chill factor. Wind chill is computed using air temperature and wind speed. With winds blowing at 35 mph on a 40-degree day, wind chill is factored at 11 degrees. Exposure to dampness such as rain or wet clothing increases the risk. A condition called cold stress can develop with serious consequences.

Cold stress occurs when blood flow in the skin, hands, and feet is diverted to the body’s core in an effort to maintain a healthy body temperature for the vital organs of the chest and abdomen. If left untreated, cold stress can progress to frostbite or even hypothermia, which is a life-threatening condition.

Soldiers in the cold, wet European trenches during World War I experienced a form of cold stress that came to be known as trench foot. While less dangerous than frostbite, trench foot is painful and uncomfortable nevertheless. Immediate treatment is required to minimize damage to healthy tissue.