* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * INFORMATION ALERT * * * * Produced by: Saskatchewan Human Resources, * * Labour and Employment * * Provided by: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * COLD CONDITIONS GUIDELINES FOR OUTSIDE WORKERS *** PURPOSE: *** These guidelines will assist employers, occupational health committee members and workers to reduce the risk of accidents and frostbite during outdoor work in cold weather. *** LEGISLATION: *** Section 33(3) of 'The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations' requires the employer to take measures to protect the health and safety of employees who must work outdoors in cold weather. Experienced workers usually know what is the best clothing to wear for their jobs. However, when employees are unexpectedly assigned to outdoor jobs in extremely cold weather, the employer should: (1) provide appropriate clothing; or (2) allow the workers to obtain suitable clothing before starting the task. Special attention should be given to good hand and footwear, as well as to face and head protection. *** GUIDELINES: *** How fast a person's body cools in cold weather depends on the: (1) air temperature; (2) wind speed; (3) heat of the sun; and (4) work being done. The fingers and toes usually feel cold first. Shivering then sets in. This is the body's way of warning that it needs to be warmed-up. If not warmed, a person may become distracted by the discomfort and be more likely to have an accident. The risk of frostbite also increases. Therefore, the employer should provide heated warm-up shelters at the workplace where workers can find relief and drink hot beverages. The Work Warm-Up Schedule provides for the use of special warm-up breaks for work in cold conditions. It assumes that normal work practice provides for breaks in warm location every two hours. The schedule provides for additional breaks as the wind velocity at the work site increases and/or the temperature decreases. The minimum termperature at which warm-up breaks should begin is -26C (-15F) when the wind reaches 16 km/hr (10 mph). If only the Wind Chill Factor (measured in Watts Per Square Metre) is available, special breaks should begin at a wind chill of 1750. All non-emergency work should cease before or when a wind chill of 2250 is reached. Where the work involves riding on an unshielded vehicle or some other activity which generates wind, the number of breaks should be increased appropriately. If effective protection against the wind can be provided by shields or screens, work modification or other measures, then the work warm-up schedule for no noticeable wind would apply. Special measures may be needed for some situations. For example, where work must be done in the country, a "buddy" system or reliable two-way communiction system should be used. Some vehicles may have to be equipped with survival gear. These guidelines are not intended to replace established cold weather work practices which may provide workers with better protection. *** WORK WARM-UP SCHEDULE FOR OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES: *** Information applies to any four (4) hour period. Warm-up breaks are assumed to provide ten (10) minutes in a warm environment. |----------------------------------------------------------------------- | AIR TEMPERATURE | NO NOTICEABLE | SUNNY SKY | WIND |----------------------------------------------------------------------- | degrees C | degrees F | maximum | number | (approximately) | (approximately) | work period | of breaks |----------------------------------------------------------------------- | 1. -26 to -28 | 1. -15 to -19 | normal breaks | 1 |----------------------------------------------------------------------- | 2. -29 to -31 | 2. -20 to -24 | normal breaks | 1 |----------------------------------------------------------------------- | 3. -32 to -34 | 3. -25 to -29 | 75 minutes | 2 |----------------------------------------------------------------------- | 4. -35 to -37 | 4. -30 to -34 | 55 minutes | 3 |----------------------------------------------------------------------- | 5. -38 to -39 | 5. -35 to -39 | 40 minutes | 4 |----------------------------------------------------------------------- | 6. -40 to -42 | 6. -40 to -44 | 30 minutes | 5 |----------------------------------------------------------------------- | 7. -43 and below | 7. -45 and below | non-emergency work should stop |----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- 8 KM/HR WIND | 16 KM/HR WIND (5 MPH) | (10 MPH) ----------------------------------------------------- maximum | number | maximum | number work period | of breaks | work period | of breaks ----------------------------------------------------- normal breaks | 1 | 75 minutes | 2 ----------------------------------------------------- 75 minutes | 2 | 55 minutes | 3 ----------------------------------------------------- 55 minutes | 3 | 40 minutes | 4 ----------------------------------------------------- 40 minutes | 4 | 30 minutes | 5 ----------------------------------------------------- 30 minutes | 5 | --------------------------| non-emergency work non-emergency work | should stop should stop | ----------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------| 24 KM/HR WIND | 32 KM/HR WIND | (15 MPH) | (20 MPH) | ----------------------------------------------------| maximum | number | maximum | number | work period | of breaks | work period | of breaks | ----------------------------------------------------| 55 minutes | 3 | 40 minutes | 2 | ----------------------------------------------------| 40 minutes | 4 | 30 minutes | 3 | ----------------------------------------------------| 30 minutes | 5 | | --------------------------| | | | | | | | | non-emergency work | non-emergency work | should stop | should stop | | ----------------------------------------------------| 1. Apply the schedule one step lower for work with limited physical activity. For example, at -35C (-30F) with no noticeable wind (step 4) a worker with a job with little physical movement should have a miximum work period of 40 minutes with 4 breks in a four hour period. (step 5) 2. If accurate information is not available, the following may be used as a guide for estimating wind velocity. Wind at 8 km/hr (5 mph) will move a light flag, at 16 km/hr (10 mph) it will fully extend the flag, at 24 km/hr (15 mph) it will raise a newspaper sheet and at 32 km/hr (20 mph) it will produce blowing and drifting snow. 3. If only the Wind Chill Factor (Watts Per Square Metre) is available, a rough guide for applying it rather than the temperature and wind velocity factors given above would be: (1) Special warm-up breaks should be initiated at a wind chill of about 1750; and (2) All non-emergency work should cease at or before a wind chill of 2250. Bulletin HU 6, Nov. 1990 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *