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SAFETY MOMENT, NOVEMBER 7

Watch for ice and frost

The hazard

Cold weather can pull heat out of your body faster than you can make it, especially when you are wet or out in the wind. As you cool down, your hands get clumsy and your thinking slows. That makes every other task more dangerous, from climbing a ladder to running a saw. Hypothermia and frostbite can creep up on you, so we watch for them in ourselves and in each other.

The action

Cold mornings leave frost and ice on decks, ladders, scaffold planks and truck steps. Do not work on a scaffold covered with snow, ice or other slippery material, except to clear it off (29 CFR 1926.451(f)(8)). Salt or sand walkways, and knock the snow off your boots before you climb. (29 CFR 1926.451(f)(8))

ASK THE CREW

What spare dry gear do you have in your truck or bag right now?

From the talk: Cold stress. Read it in full, free, with the questions and the sign-in sheet.

See today's safety moment

HOW TO USE IT

How to give a safety moment

  1. Gather the crew where they work, before the shift or the meeting starts. Read the hazard out loud.
  2. Ask the question and let two or three people answer. What they say about their own work counts for more than what you read.
  3. Name the action and point to one place on today's job where it applies, so everyone knows what to do differently.
  4. Write the date and the names on a sign-in sheet.

A safety moment is short and does not replace the full talk. When you want to go through a topic with the crew, pick a free toolbox talk.

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