Try out these training tips to prepare your employees for winter hazards.
While not everyone works outside during the winter, cold weather hazards can affect any workplace. Rain, ice, snow and other winter storm conditions can pose a danger for commuters, make for dangerous travelling conditions, and cause power outages and damage to the workplace. If you do work outside during the winter, then the bad weather conditions can cause some very serious health problems. As winter approaches, make sure your workers are ready. Try out these training tips to prepare your employees for winter hazards.
1) How to build emergency kits
One of the main things that you should discuss with your employees during training is what to do in the case of a winter weather emergency. For instance, if weather conditions are particularly intense, then your employees might not be able to leave the workplace. That’s why it’s important that your employees to keep a storm preparedness kit with them while they’re at work. Kits should include things like nonperishable food items, water, a change of clothes, blankets, and any medication your employees might need should they be snowed in.
2) Review workplace emergency action plan
Another thing you should review during training is how to respond to various winter weather emergencies. For instance, you should discuss what to do if there is a medical emergency and an ambulance is delayed due to bad weather. Other scenarios you should prepare your employees for include: power outages, frozen and damaged pipes, damaged roofs, broken vehicles or equipment, and traffic accidents while on the job.
3) Emphasize dangers of hypothermia
Finally, if our employees work out in the cold, then you should train them to recognize the early signs of hypothermia. Hypothermia is a condition where an individual’s body temperature drops too low. In its early stages, hypothermia can cause shivering, lethargy, and mild confusion. However, if allowed to progress, hypothermia can cause more extreme confusion and inability to do simple movements. In the most extreme cases, hypothermia can cause the heart rate, breathing, and blood flow to slow and can lead to brain damage and even death. Teach your employees to recognize the early signs of hypothermia and teach them some warming techniques. Some techniques include body-to-body contact, employing prewarmed sleeping bags, application of heat packs, and administering warm fluids to drink.
Offering adequate training can prepare your employees for winter hazards, so make sure your workers are ready for anything. Another way to make sure that your employees stay safe is to make sure you have adequate commercial coverage. To find the right policies to protect your business and your employees, contact the experts at Contractors Insurance Agency. Our dedicated team has you covered.