Workplace exposure

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Want to live a longer and healthier life? Stay well-hydrated, say researchers from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

“Even skin that is protected can be subject to frostbite,” the National Safety Council says. Signs of frostbite include skin that looks red, white, bluish-white, grayish-yellow, purplish, brown or ashen, depending on the severity of the condition and the person’s skin color. The affected area may feel numb as well. The condition can affect the fingers, toes, ears and face.

Experts share tips and trends to help safety pros keep workers safe.

“Workers – both indoors and outdoors – in services, transportation, agriculture, construction and other industries may be exposed to environmental cold stress that can lead to thermal discomfort, and in some cases even severe injuries, illnesses or death,” NIOSH warns.

OSHA’s Multi-Employer Citation Policy was put in place, in part, to keep employers who have workers on the same site from blaming each other when incidents occur or OSHA inspectors find hazards.

A look at the framework, and how it can lead to "the implementation of inherently safer systems, where the risk of illness or injury has been substantially reduced."

Construction workers: Do you often perform the same task at work over and over again? Do you experience pain afterward? What starts as a minor ache or pain can quickly turn into a more serious condition – a repetitive stress injury.

Simply put, “lockout/tagout is a safety procedure used to make sure equipment and machines are properly shut off and not able to start during maintenance or repair work,” the Texas Department of Insurance says. “This is known as controlling hazardous energy.”

A thorough workplace safety and health plan should include steps to protect workers from cold-related hazards. This is particularly important for workers in the services, transportation, construction and agriculture industries.

Do your employees use gas-powered equipment at work? If so, they may be exposed to carbon monoxide.