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| Don’t Let Workers Get Cold Feet on the Job |
Getting “cold feet” usually means that someone is nervous about an upcoming marriage or other major event. But if your workers are required to work outdoors in even the worst weather, having cold feet can cause them serious problems.
Those who work outside and develop cold feet—or worse, cold and wet feet—are at risk for developing hypothermia, frostbite and trench foot.
Wet feet lose heat 25 times faster than dry feet, which can lead to a dangerous drop in core body temperature (hypothermia). Getting wet or working up a sweat in cool weather can bring on hypothermia and it can occur in temperatures above freezing (32 F or 0 C).
Keeping the feet warm and dry also reduces the risk of developing frostbite, a painful condition caused by prolonged exposure of skin to freezing or sub-freezing temperatures. Severe cases of frostbite to the feet can lead to gangrene (tissue decay), requiring the toes to be surgically amputated.
Protect your workers year-round. Go to the category called Seasonal Safety on Safety Smart! where you’ll find many safety talks, articles, fatality reports, posters, puzzles and slogans you can use to help keep your workers healthy and safe.
Want to Try SafetySmart Online? Request a Free Demo |
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| An amazing unfolding of events in the seconds before the young woman lying across this taxicab jumped from a building kept this suicide attempt from becoming a fatality. The woman jumped from the 23rd floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires and somehow survived landing on this vehicle, which had parked just moments before. Seeing a policeman looking up, the taxi driver got out of the driver’s seat and narrowly avoided being crushed. The badly injured woman was expected to survive. (Reuters photo) |
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| OSHA Revises National Emphasis Program on Diacetyl |
The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is getting tougher on food manufacturers that use diacetyl or diacetyl substitutes to give microwave popcorn and other food products a buttery flavor and appealing smell.
Many workers who have been exposed to diacetyl on the job have suffered severe and even fatal lung disease. Some food manufacturers have switched to substitutes such as 2,3-pentanedione, diacetyl trimer and acetoin, but OSHA says recent studies have shown that exposure to 2,3-pentanedione has produced similar health effects as diacetyl.
“It is alarming that workers continue to be at risk of dying from exposure to diacetyl and diacetyl substitutes,” says OSHA Administrator Dr. David Michaels. “Illnesses and deaths from these chemicals are preventable and this revised directive will help ensure that employers use necessary measures to protect workers from this hazard.”
OSHA says its efforts to minimize or eliminate worker’s exposures to microwave popcorn manufacturing hazards include inspection targeting, directions for controlling chemical hazards and extensive compliance assistance.
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