Safety Tidbit 5.06 - Wintry Winds

Safety Tidbit 5.06 – Wintry Winds

Reference: OSHA Winter Weather Topic Page

This week’s Safety Tidbit was written by one of my students, Michael Emanuele – a senior in the Safety Sciences Program at the Indiana University of PA.

The holiday season is a bustling time of the year that brings joy, promotes peace, and…stimulates the economy. Many industries push production into overload, forcing employers to work their employees longer hours as supply and demand grow. Unfortunately for the workers, the warmer temps quickly plummet, exposing workers to the harsh conditions that winter creates.

When the air temperature drops to 40 ˚F and below, workers become at risk for cold stress. Cold stress occurs when the body's core temperature drops below 96.8 ˚ F or exposing bare skin to freezing temperatures ending in injuries such as hypothermia and frostbite.

An Industrial Hygienist must be aware of the bitter cold temperatures during the winter months to ensure workers are not overexposed to the harsh temps. The IH must equate the two climatic factors (air temperature and airspeed) to accurately gauge the heat exchange rate between the worker and the worksite. This heat exchange rate is known as the Equivalent Chill Temperature (ECT) or, more commonly, as the Windchill Index. An increasing difference in the skin temperature and outside temperature combined with the wind speed results in a high rate of heat loss from the worker's skin. I recommend that the IH monitor a worksite when temperatures fall below 30˚ F, recording the dry bulb temperature and the wind speed every four hours.

Below is a quick reference to using the new Equivalent Chill Temperature Table (2001):

Wind Speed	Dry Bulb Temperature  (F˚)
MPH	50	40	30	20	10	0	-10	-20	-30
0	50	40	30	20	10	0	-10	-20	-30
5	48	37	26	19	1	-11	22	-34	-46
10	39	35	15	15	-4	-16	-28	-41	-53
15	35	21	8	3	-7	-19	-32	-45	-58
20	32	17	3	-5	-9	-22	-35	-48	-61
25	30	15	-0.4	-14	-11	-24	-37	-51	-64
30	28	12	-2	-18	-12	-26	-39	-53	-67
35	26	10	-4	-20	-14	-27	-41	-55	-69
	Equivalent Chill Temperature (F˚)

*The amber color is the dry bulb temperature in F˚, the blue column represents the wind speed in miles per hour, and the grey section is the combined number that equals the equivalent chill temperature.

A health and safety professional should ensure the following: 1. minimize worker exposure at extreme temps, 2. provide ten-minute warm-ups every hour, 3. workers wear properly insulated clothing to reduce the loss of heat from their bodies, 4. proper hydration of workers.

Finally, provide medical evaluation for any workers performing tasks in conditions -11˚F or less.

The holiday season is a busy time for everyone, and everyone wants to provide their families with the best gifts they can provide. Still, the best gift health and safety professionals can give to their workers is that they get them home to their families safely so they can enjoy the holidays.

I hope this was helpful and thank you for reading my Safety Tidbits! Comments and questions are always welcome. ~ Bryan

P.S. If you have a new safety or health question, please let me know.