Safety Moment
Cold weather stress is extremely dangerous and could cause health emergencies. Cold stress happens when heat leaves the body rapidly due to a drop in temperature and increase in wind speed.
A cold environment forces the body to work harder to maintain its temperature. As temperatures drop and wind speed increases, heat can leave your body more rapidly, putting you at risk of illness and injury or in extreme cases hypothermia.
The three most common types of cold stress include:
Hypothermia occurs when the body's temperature drops to 95°F (35°C) or below. Initial signs show the person is alert with uncontrollable shivering.
Frostbite is when the body tissue freezes, typically affecting the extremities like hands and feet and may result in amputation. It can occur at temperatures above freezing due to wind chill.
Trench foot is a non-freezing injury to the foot caused by lengthy exposure to wet and cold environments. It can occur at air temperature as high as 60°F (15°C), if feet are constantly wet.
Maintaining the necessary precautions to avoid cold-related illness doesn't completely prevent illness from happening. Anyone working on cold weather may be at risk for the three most common types of cold stress, and it's important to watch for signs and know what to do should you or someone else experience these symptoms.