The Situation

The sun was shining brightly in a cloudless sky, but the brisk north wind was howling, making working conditions brutal. Nobody could mistake this February day for a moderate one.

Nobody, that is, except for the workers in Phil’s construction crew. They looked out the window, saw the sun beaming and figured they could fashion concrete forms at an outdoor worksite all day without a heavy jacket or sweater.

It didn’t take long for the crew to learn that they had been suckered into not dressing warmly enough. The shivering began almost at once.

“Phil, the guys need a break. We’re so cold we can’t think straight,” said Dave, a long-time co-worker of Phil’s.

“Dave, you know these forms have to be in before we leave tonight. The concrete’s coming in first thing tomorrow. We can’t afford to take a warm-up break.”

Still, Phil could see that the guys were struggling. So he figured a little pep talk might get them through. “Guys, listen up. Put your backs into this and pick up the pace. Work up a sweat and we’ll be out of here before you know it.”

Grumbling, the workers did as they were told and some of them did break a sweat. Fifteen minutes later, several crewmembers stopped working and huddled around Joe, a co-worker who was shivering uncontrollably on the ground.

“Phil, come here!” shouted Dave. “Joe’s shaking like a leaf and he’s talking nonsense. I think somebody better take him to the hospital.”

Joe was found to be suffering from hypothermia, a potentially fatal condition caused by a dangerously low body temperature. Luckily he recovered.

The Question

Name three things that Phil, the supervisor, did wrong.

The Answers

1. He didn’t allow the crew to take periodic warm-up breaks.
2. He didn’t realize that encouraging his workers to break a sweat wouldn’t keep them warm. It actually had the opposite effect, leading to hypothermia.
3. He did not advise his workers to bring layers of extra clothing so they would be prepared for any sudden deterioration in weather conditions.

Cold Weather Safety Tips

Here are some other cold-weather safety tips from the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA):

• Teach your workers to watch out for and report signs of hypothermia in their co-workers. These include uncontrolled shivering, slurred speech, confused behavior, clumsy movements and fatigue.
• Encourage workers to drink warm, sweet beverages such as sugar water or sports drinks. Coffee, tea, soda, and other caffeine-containing drinks should be avoided because they boost heart rate and increase the likelihood of hypothermia.
• Remind workers to eat warm, high-calorie foods such as pasta dishes or hearty soups.

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