Winter weather can add to the existing hazards one faces when working on construction. When there is a risk of snow and ice or even blustery winds, you need to take the proper precautions to help ensure the safety of your crew at the job site.

Strong winds, snow, and ice increase the risk of falls, so make sure the crew wears boots with good traction. Frostbite is also a risk, so make sure your team knows to bundle up and recommend insulated boots.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends that construction workers wear at least three layers of loose clothing to stay warm. When workers must drive in wintry conditions, they need to be familiar with proper winter maintenance for vehicles. They should also know how to drive safely in inclement weather conditions.

For those working outdoors, cold stress is a serious threat. That is when the body gets too cold then cannot warm itself up. That is a condition that requires immediate attention.

Every worker must be prepared for working in cold weather, and every employer must take preparing their employees for such weather seriously.

Be sure you and/or the team check the weather forecast and stay current on the latest weather patterns, so you can be prepared for anything that heads toward the job site.

Have an emergency kit readily available on the job site, so workers can get warmed up and get the care and attention that they need should an emergency arise.

Have you ever seen a professional heavy equipment operator dress wearing flip-flops while on the job? Probably not, because that shoe selection would be a huge safety violation. There’s a good reason professionals wear the protective gear you see when driving past a work site, and it’s because workers are safer when appropriately dressed for the job they actually do.

Personal Protective Gear for Heavy Equipment Operators

Those flip-flops are unsafe because they don’t protect the feet. A worksite that has heavy equipment is a work site that requires good work boots, usually with steel toes. These boots, along with good socks, are designed to stay on your feet and keep your mind on the job instead of your toes. Other ways to protect your body might vary depending on the type of industry:

• clothing that will keep you from getting caught in moving machinery parts
• gloves that keep your hands from slipping and also protect
• safety glasses that keep dust and other junk out of your eyes
• ear plugs or ear muffs that keep you from going deaf
• respirators or masks that keep silica or other junk out of your lungs
• hard hats that keep your skull from getting cracked
• reflective safety vests that keep you visible
• sunscreen that keeps you from getting skin cancer
• a water bottle that keeps you hydrated

Dress Appropriately

All this protective gear has horror stories behind it — stories of real heavy equipment operators who were injured or killed because they did not have that one thing to protect them. These sad stories are why ATS instructors are required to have National Credentials with NCCER (National Center for Construction Education & Research). This non-profit educational foundation has a mission — to foster a productive, safe, and sustainable workforce. Certifications like NCCER verify that the information being taught has research behind the rules. That protective gear might seem like a hassle, but it keeps you dressed for the job you actually do.