Snow Drift February 2009: Safety and the Snow Industry

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration sometimes gets a bad rap, but is the administration’s goal really any different than yours in the snow and ice industry?

When it comes down to it, safety is our number one concern in this industry…sure, making a profit is a goal, but even that is tied to safety and health. Even more so, the industry is driven by intense pressure from the public, and from attorneys with an affinity for ambulances, to maintain the highest levels of performance during the worst, most powerful weather each year. What information from OSHA can help us keep ourselves, and the folks who utilize the asphalt and concrete we maintain, safer?

The OSHA website at http://www.osha.gov has a great deal of information to help build a safer, healthier organization. For example, OSHA illustrates the kinds of illnesses and injuries that are directly related to winter weather, including:

• Driving accidents due to slippery roadways
• Carbon monoxide poisoning
• Slips and falls due to slippery walkways
• Hypothermia and frostbite due to the cold weather exposure
• Being struck by falling objects such as icicles, tree limbs, and utility poles
• Electrocution due to downed power lines or downed objects in contact with power lines
• Falls from heights (e.g. falls from roof or skylights while removing snow)
• Roof collapse under weight of snow (or melting snow if drains are clogged)
• Burns from fires caused by energized line contact or equipment failure
• Exhaustion from working extended shifts
• Dehydration
• Back injuries or heart attack while removing snow

For more information related to these items, as well as some tips to fighting frost bite, wind chill, and hypothermia, and even some winter driving tips, visit http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/emergencypreparedness/guides/winterstorms.html

Another government entity, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), has helped shed some light on another potential safety hazard associated with snow and ice work; injuries and death from traffic-related motor vehicle crashes involving workers.  As a person who may be responsible for hiring new employees who will be driving equipment over extended hours, in harsh conditions, these tips may help you protect yourself, your employees, and anyone else on the road. If you employ motor vehicle operators, make sure you take the following steps:

• Conduct driver's license background checks before hiring drivers.
• Provide vehicles with seat belts for the driver and every passenger, and require their use.
• Establish schedules that allow drivers enough time to obey speed limits and that limit drivers' hours of service according to regulations.
• Train drivers in safe driving practices and and the proper use of vehicle safety features.
• Establish procedures to ensure proper maintenance of all vehicle systems.
• Make sure that newly purchased vehicles are equipped with appropriate occupant protection and other safety features.
• Adopt the U.S. Department of Transportation regulations for commercial motor carriers as part of your motor vehicle safety program.

More information on traffic related injuries and death related to working people can be found here http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/motralrt.html.

Remember, and educated and informed client can translate into a well-informed and long-term customer. Setting up a comprehensive safety and training program for your snow business can be an additional point of differentiation between you and a competitor.

Contributors:
Brian Birch, SIMA

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