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HEALTH AND SAFETY
injuries. Cold can modify or aggravate the risk of common hazards and increase the risk of cold-associated injuries.
feel hot and want to remove all his clothes before he finally slips into unconsciousness. Ultimately, the heart stops.
When it comes to ensuring the health and safety of ourselves and our teams, we want to use the‘ hierarchy of controls’ in dealing with hazards and risks that we face. In simple terms, we want to start with what will help us the most in dealing with the dangers before resorting to documents and PPE. If possible, we want to eliminate the potential for hazardous weather to impact our staff, but where this is not practical, serious consideration to the amount of time spent in these situations must be addressed, along with other‘ risk-based thinking’ strategies.
What could plumbers face during these hazardous seasons? Cold temperatures have hazardous effects on humans and their ability to work well. When the body is exposed to cold temperatures, the negative effects can include:
• Dehydration
• Numbness
• Shivering
• Frostbite
• Hypothermia
• Immersion foot / trench foot
Wear proper winter clothing that insulates from the cold and lets perspiration evaporate while protecting from the wind, rain and snow.
Protect feet and toes. Wear two layers of socks— cotton underneath a pair of wool socks is best— with a pair of well-fitted boots that come above the ankle.
Hand protection is vital. Mittens are warmer than gloves but can limit dexterity. Wear a pair of gloves under a pair of mittens for warmth and remove mittens to use gloved fingers as needed.
Immersion foot / trench foot Trench foot is a foot injury that occurs when the feet are wet and cold for a prolonged period. It ' s also known as immersion foot. Trench foot is caused when wet feet aren’ t dried off properly. It’ s most common in temperatures of 1 – 4 ° C. However, trench foot can even occur in desert
Hypothermia Employees who are wearing inappropriate clothing are at higher risk of hypothermia, as are employees who are wet, tired, dehydrated or suffering from malnutrition.
The risk of hypothermia is greater if alcohol is consumed, because alcohol makes blood vessels dilate, providing a larger surface area through which heat can be lost. At this point, the body only maintains heat around its vital organs— brain, heart and lungs— and shuts down circulation to the arms and legs. The heart rate becomes slow, intermittent and weak, and the blood vessels widen. This makes a person
Beware the dreaded trench foot and keep feet and footwear dry.
May 2025 Volume 31 I Number 03