Cold Weather Work

Hypothermia and frostbite warning signs, layering and warm-up breaks, icy surface control, and the carbon monoxide risk from heaters in enclosed spaces.

Download PDF with sign-in sheet Browse all

Health & environment · General Duty Clause

Cold does not need to be extreme to hurt you. Wind, wet clothing, and long hours outside can pull your body temperature down even on a 40 degree day, and hypothermia takes your judgment first, so the victim is usually the last one to know. Frostbite can permanently damage fingers, toes, and ears in well under an hour when the wind chill is low.

Key hazards

• Hypothermia from wet clothing, wind, and long exposure, even above freezing
• Frostbite of fingers, toes, ears, and cheeks in low wind chill
• Ice on ladders, scaffolds, walkways, and equipment steps
• Numb hands and stiff bodies causing tool and material handling injuries
• Carbon monoxide from heaters and engines running in enclosed or tented areas
• Fatigue and dehydration that come with shivering and heavy gear

Safe practices

• Dress in loose layers, a wicking base layer, insulation, and a wind and water resistant shell, and keep spare dry gloves and socks on site.
• Cover your head and neck, and wear insulated, waterproof boots.
• Take warm-up breaks in a heated area, and take them more often as temperature drops and wind picks up.
• Keep clothing dry and change out of wet gear right away. Sweat counts as wet.
• Drink warm fluids and eat regularly. Your body burns fuel to stay warm. Skip alcohol, it speeds up heat loss.
• Watch each other for the umbles, stumbles, mumbles, and fumbles. Clumsiness and confusion are hypothermia talking.
• Clear, sand, or salt ice on walkways, ladders, and platforms before work starts, and slow your pace when surfaces are slick.
• Vent fuel-fired heaters properly and never run engines or heaters in enclosed spaces without ventilation and carbon monoxide monitoring.
• Use the buddy system for remote or solo cold work and check in on a schedule.

Discussion questions

• Where can the crew warm up on this site, and is it close enough to actually get used?
• Who is working alone or on the edges of the site today, and how are we checking on them?
• What icy spots showed up this morning, ladders, planks, steps, and who is treating them?

If something goes wrong

• For suspected hypothermia, get the person somewhere warm and dry, remove wet clothing, wrap them in blankets or dry layers, and call 911 if they are confused, slurring, or have stopped shivering.
• For frostbite, warm the area gradually with body heat or warm water. Do not rub the skin or use direct high heat, and get medical care.
• If anyone gets a headache, dizziness, or nausea around heaters or engines, get everyone to fresh air immediately and report a possible carbon monoxide problem.

Keep the record without the paper

Download the signed attendance sheet, then keep follow-up notes and photos in YakBuildHQ's timestamped project record — start free.