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With a second major winter cold-air system moving through Alabama, OSHA has renewed warnings regarding the dangers of cold stress, hypothermia, frostbite and trench foot.

While employers in northern climes are accustomed to the hazards of cold, wind and wet conditions, southern employees need to be extra vigilant during this season.

A recent storm system has spread snow, rain and sleet across the Southeast, including Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.  Highs in the upper teens and low twenties can be life-threatening for outdoor workers who are unprepared.  

The unexpected snowfall has resulted in many schools and businesses being closed. Still, other businesses continue to operate. Emergency workers and utility workers are particularly at risk, because they have to be on the job no matter how inclement the weather is.

On Sunday night, a mixture of rain, sleet and snow spread across the region, resulting in multiple-car accidents and shutting down many airport runways.

As much as 5 inches of snow fell in parts of Alabama. The last major snowfall in the area occurred in March 1993, when 16 inches of snow fell.

Although Florida escaped the icy storm, two tornados were reportedly touched down along the west coast Saturday afternoon, although no injuries were reported.

With high temperatures over the weekend in the teens, parts of Alabama were less then 10 degrees warmer than in Chicago, on the frosty shores of Lake Michigan.

In early January, powerful thunderstorms and high winds pushed through Alabama, causing injuries and property damage. At least two houses were destroyed in Sulligent, in Lamar County Alabama, near the Mississippi state line.

In Choctaw County, a woman was injured and barns at a dairy farm were damaged during the storm’s peak winds.

The Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) warns employers that cold weather in the workplace can be hazardous to outdoor employees. Workers involved in agriculture, construction, and road work and snow removal are particularly at risk during cold weather.

Hazards of working in cold weather include trench foot, cold stress, hypothermia and frostbite.

OSHA states that these conditions can occur in relatively moderate temperatures. If employees are exposed to windy, rainy and wet conditions, or if they must stand in water, cold stress and hypothermia can occur even at 50 degrees. To aid employees, OSHA recently sent out an alert with detailed steps on how the worker can avoid illness and injury.

One of the important ways to avoid the dangers of cold stress and other problems is for outdoor employees to work in pairs. Each worker can watch the other for signs and symptoms, which include drowsiness, fatigue and clumsy movements. Workers suffering from cold stress can also appear slightly blue, be irrational and have slurred speech and uncontrolled shivering.

A worker who shows any of these signs should get help immediately. Supervisors or coworkers must call emergency services and then move the employee to a dry, warm area. Wet clothing, if possible, should be removed and replaced either with dry clothing or with blankets.

Movement can increase body heat. If the employee is able have him or her move his or her legs. If movement isn’t a possibility, apply warm water bottles or hot packs to the groin area and under the arms, plus around the head and neck.

Do not give the injured person alcohol. Caffeinated drinks are not recommended either, as they can actually slow the warming process. Instead, give beverages that are warm and sweet like sugar water and warmed sports drinks.

Do not rub the injured person’s skin or put him or her in a hot bath or shower. Warming a body too quickly can be harmful and can result in heart failure.

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