Cold Weather Work-Employer Practices

Employers should use safe work practices. 

For example, it is easy to become dehydrated in cold weather. Employers therefore, can provide plenty of warm sweetened liquids to workers.  Avoid alcoholic drinks. 

If possible, employers can schedule heavy work during the warmer part of the day. 

Employers can assign workers to tasks in pairs (buddy system), so that they can monitor each other for signs of cold stress. 

Workers can be allowed to interrupt their work, if they are extremely uncomfortable. Employers should give workers frequent breaks in warm areas. 

Acclimatize new workers and those returning after time away from work, by gradually increasing their workload, and allowing more frequent breaks in warm areas, as they build up a tolerance for working in the cold environment. 

Safety measures, such as these, should be incorporated into the relevant health and safety plan for the workplace.