OSHA Guidelines for the Winter Months
Posted:
Friday, January 13th, 2012
Category:
OSHA and Safety
The winter cold may be here but OSHA is warming up the cockles of workers’ hearts by putting up a web page to help protect workers from the dangers during winter storm response and recovery operations.
This in addition to OSHA 30 certification (for supervisors) and OSHA 10 hour training (for workers) that most employers today require of their workers so they can identify and eliminate onsite safety and health hazards.
Specifically, the web page shows employers and workers in cleanup and recovery work how to recognize snow storm-related hazards and provides the steps employers should take to keep workers safe under these conditions. The page includes a how-to for workers under various circumstances, including clearing heavy snow, encountering downed power lines, and restoring power after winter storms. The Winter Storms web page is at http://s.dol.gov/L1.
According to OSHA, ways to address winter storm hazards include:
- Assuming all power lines are energized and stay well clear of them.
- Ensuring that all powered equipment is guarded and disconnected from power sources before performing any maintenance.
- Exercising caution around surfaces bearing a heavy load of snow or ice.
- Clearing all walking surfaces of snow and ice and applying salt or substitute where needed.
- Providing (in the employer’s case) and ensuring the use of fall protection.
- Establishing and clearly marking work zones.
- Ensuring the use of engineering controls, personal protective equipment, and safe work practices to reduce exposure to winter conditions.
OSHACampus.com, a leading provider of online OSHA training, offers 10 Hour OSHA Training and 30 Hour OSHA Training for workers, supervisors, and contractors.
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