Work Stress, Family Stress, Heat Stress…………..AND now Cold Stress!! - originally written Fall 2013 for upcoming cold months

Work Stress, Family Stress, Heat Stress…………..AND now Cold Stress!!

By Colleen Gemmill, D.E. Gemmill, Inc – November 2013

     Fall is upon us and with it comes a sigh of relief for some who can see their schedules become lighter, along with thoughts of colder temperatures and (dare I say it) snow. Many of your jobs and recreational activities will take you out into the adverse weather and could pose a threat to your health in the form of cold stress.

      There are many forms of cold stress including Hypothermia, Frostbite, Trench Foot, and Chilblains. All can be dangerous, but all are preventable. It is important to learn what to do to prevent cold stress as well as knowing the warning signs and treatment.

     Hypothermia occurs when the body uses up its stored energy and can no longer produce heat. It usually transpires after prolonged exposure to the cold. Early symptoms include shivering, fatigue, loss of coordination, confusion and disorientation. Late stage symptoms include lack of shivering, bluish skin, dilated pupils, slowed pulse/breathing, and a possible loss of consciousness.  A few action steps to take are call for medical help, move victim to warm shelter, remove wet clothing, warm center of body with blankets or clothing (don’t rub skin), if conscious give a warm beverage.

     Frostbite is an injury to the body caused by freezing. It usually affects the nose, ears, fingers and toes. Symptoms are reduced blood flow to hands and feet, numbness, tingling/stinging, and bluish or pale skin. Action steps to take include getting into a warm room, immerse affected area in warm water or warm area using body heat. Do not use heating pad or fire place and do not rub.

   

     Trench Foot is an injury to the feet resulting from extended exposure to wet cold conditions. Symptoms are reddening of skin, numbness, leg cramps, swelling, tingling pain, blisters and bleeding under skin. Treatment includes removing shoes and wet socks, dry feet, avoid walking (this may cause tissue damage).

   

     Chilblains are ulcers formed by damaged small blood vessels. This is caused by repeated exposure of skin to temperatures just above freezing to as high as 60 degrees. Symptoms include redness, itching, blistering, inflammation and possible ulceration. Action steps include avoid scratching, warm skin slowly, corticosteroid cream to relieve itching and swelling, keep blisters and ulcers clean and covered.

   

     What can you do to avoid cold stress? Wear layers of loose clothing, go to warm areas during breaks, carry extra socks, gloves, hats and blankets. Also add chemical hot packs to your first aid kit and avoid touching cold metal with bare skin.

   

     So whether you are working or playing in the cold winter months keep yourself and others safe. Always be prepared for what Mother Nature sends your way. 

From snow removal, work and play,  D. E. Gemmill has the gear to keep you safe during snow season! Check it out here - please scroll down to bottom of sales page.

Temporary Traffic Control Visibility

Working with traffic signs and temporary traffic control devices on a daily basis, tends to make one look around as one travels. As I drive down the road and around the country I have to tell you about one of my pet peeves. Poorly maintained traffic control and work zone products, drive me insane. I mean really how can inspectors, municipalities and contractors accept such poorly maintained devises?

The word “safety” is one of the most tossed around words in the construction vocabulary. Safety is defined as the freedom from danger, protection from, or not being exposed to, the risk of harm or injury. Where can this be more important than in areas where road construction is occurring? These areas are called “Work Zones” and they are established for many types of situations including roadway maintenance, roadway construction, utility work, emergency scenes and incidents and anything that will redirect traffic from its normal path or flow.

Now we know vehicles are traveling at faster speeds all the time, which means less time for drivers to react to changing conditions. Motorists are more distracted with cell phones, GPS and all these other gadgets that we all have in our cars. So when there is something to provide advance warning of work zones, possible changes to their travel path and devices which provide continual efficient traffic flow, shouldn’t they be visible? I mean have you seen some of these items. Signs that can’t even be read, because they are so scratched, or worn, and forget if it is dark. Construction drums and cones that are so dirty or the reflect stripes so worn (if stripes are even present) that they are difficult to see during daylight, let alone in the nighttime. 

Most roadway construction projects have inspectors. They should be inspecting the traffic control products and stopping work until defective equipment is replaced or repaired. I know. Who cares? A drum is a drum, a cone a cone. Really? There are minimum standards for reflectivity which have been established for traffic control devices, and traffic control signs, yet as I drive around I don’t see them being enforced. Companies which rely on these devices to establish their work zones should be proactive and make sure their devices are meeting the criteria. If they are renting them, they should request certifications that the products have been tested and maintained to remain in operation. Why care? Well let’s go back to that word “safety”. Protection of our employees and team members should be our number one priority. We are placing our people next to vehicles traveling 40, 50 60 or more miles per hour as they pass through our work zones. Sometimes those reflective drums and cones are the only things that delineate the travel path from the work area.  Shouldn’t they be as bright and as visible as possible?

How about the advanced warning signs as you approach a work zone? Can they be read easily, are they dirty, do they have tar or oil on them, and are they reflective? They should be in great condition as they are the only thing that warns motorist as they approach our workers. Think about it. You just changed the normal path of travel people may have been using to for years. The only thing to bring attention to the changing conditions are these signs. If they don’t stand out from the other surroundings along the travel path they will not know about your work zone and your personnel. Here is a little known fact. Did you know that most rollup and rigid traffic control sign sheeting only has a 3 year life expectancy? I bet most companies don’t! Another point of contention with me is short term signage should be taken down at the end of each day! We all want to get mad at drivers when they come flying into our work zones, but if you leave the signs up for days on end, even overnight, when you are not working, then how do expect the traveling public to know if you are working or not? Remember the advanced signage is designed to get the driver’s attention.  It does not look different if you leave it up for weeks on end, even when there is no work happening.    

 If you have a safety director, job supervisor or you simply own this equipment you should be making sure that it is tested or replaced on a regular basis. You should also be training your personnel on the proper procedures for setup of a work zone. Your insurance company should be requiring that you have maintenance records or regular testing records of this equipment. Why? Well let’s face it, it is cheaper for the equipment to be maintained and replaced, so it can protect the workers or the insured company than to payout worker compensation or death benefit claims because drivers could not see, follow or have advanced warning of your work zone. Honestly don’t you want your employees to go home to their families after each shift?

Isn’t it time for the state department of transportation to put allowances for traffic control devices or new traffic control devices into contracts as specific line items? There are states that are progressive and require new or like new traffic control devices to assist in adequate traffic flow and protection for workers. But there are also states which allow “junk” to be used on their projects and then wonder why people and workers are dying in their work zones.  If nothing else please train the inspectors and your state highway workers to spot deficient traffic control products, and allow them to shut down work zones if they are not in compliance. There are states that do this, so it can be done.

Insurance companies. We need them to get on board with these standards and have them require testing, maintenance records and replacement plans in order to remain insured. They are the people that will be litigating and paying for our deficiencies, and then we will all help pay by higher premiums, when our work is associated with road work.

     

All I want is to do is see where they want me to go!!!! Is that too much to ask?

David E. Gemmill

D. E. Gemmill, Inc.

http://degemmill.com/traffic-sign-management.html 

http://degemmill.com/traffic_control_product.html 

http://degemmill.com/about_us.html 

http://www.workzonesafety.org/laws/federal_regulations