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Virginia Worker Safety

March 11th, 2007 Posted by Amelia

Many Virginia workers are employed in industries where outdoor work is routinely performed. This outdoor work is subject to the hazards of the weather and the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) wants to increase safety awareness for workers in these situations. Many of Virginia’s outdoor workers are employed in the fields of agriculture, landscaping, construction, forestry, and roadwork. Particularly at risk are its emergency services workers.
Even in the relatively mild temperatures of the south, cold stress and hypothermia are threats to Virginia worker safety. Cold stress and hypothermia are two conditions caused by prolonged exposure to an adverse environment. Risk factors to consider are air temperature, wind, dampness, and contact with cold water or surfaces. Under certain circumstances, injury, illness, even death can occur when these risk factors combine in dangerous fashion.
When threatened with cold, the body will struggle to maintain a healthy temperature of 98.6 degrees. To do so, blood flow will be shifted from the fingers and toes first, the hands and feet next, to the vital internal organs such as heart, lungs, and brain. The skin surface will cool as the body fights to maintain a warm chest and abdomen. Frostbite occurs when there is no longer enough blood flowing to the extremities to maintain a healthy temperature in them.
If the adverse conditions persist, the body will lose its ability to maintain a functional temperature and cold stress begins and may escalate to its deadly extreme – hypothermia. Hypothermia is the term used to describe body temperature that has dropped to 95 degrees. In the body’s struggle to warm itself, the worker will shiver uncontrollably and may stomp his or her feet to speed circulation.

The skin will become pale and cool to the touch, coordination will become impaired, and speech will become slurred. In the unfortunate event that body temperature continues to drop, the shivering will stop and the worker may become unable to walk or even stand. If the body temperature is allowed to drop to 85 degrees, unconsciousness will occur, followed by death at 78 degrees.
Wet clothing, wind chill, and prolonged contact with cold water or surfaces even when the temperature is as high as 50 degrees outside can bring on the effects of cold stress. Measures should be established to minimize any risk to the worker even when the weather seems moderate and unthreatening.