Some considerations surrounding work in cold conditions
Yes, spring is rapidly on the way in Connecticut, but that happy contemplation hardly equates to residents waving a summary goodbye to winter and donning beach ware.
We know better. Virtually all corridors of the state can be resistantly cold across the month, even icily so. Accumulating snow, slippery roads, numbing winds – these weather elements and related conditions are hardly unusual for periods that extend for many more weeks.
Which perhaps makes a reminder about working outside in winter weather still quite timely. Connecticut workers spanning a broad number of industries and specific jobs might want to stay focused on being safe while exposed to continuing adverse conditions. Employers especially should be ever-vigilant about weather assessment/planning and protecting their workers from cold-linked hazards.
Those are myriad and diverse. A recent article discussing cold-weather dangers for workers and the attendant need for protection underscores a number of safety risks that become especially concerning when outside elements turn dire. They include these injury catalysts:
- Slips, trips and falls
- Working from heights
- Prolonged exposure to the cold
- Inadequate clothing
Understandably, employees from a core group of specific work realms are at especially heightened risk for cold-tied accidents and injuries. Those include workers from the construction, maritime and agriculture industries, road cleanup crews, first responders (e.g., police officers, fire fighters and ambulance crews) and recreational employees.
Business owners and work managers absolutely have a duty to fully protect their workers against winter-related injuries and accidents.
A proven Connecticut workers’ compensation and personal injury attorney devoted to employees’ safety and on-the-job welfare can provide further information.
