As we settle into the frosty winter months, it seems an appropriate time to take a look at a new standard, from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), designed to help assess risk and manage work in cold environments.
Because of the negative impact of cold on human health and performance, as well as on work productivity, quality, and safety, ISO felt a comprehensive strategy of risk assessment and management practices and methods was needed for work in cold environments.
Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, ISO is a network of the national standards institutes of 157 countries, and it is the world’s largest developer and publisher of international standards.
ISO 15743:2008, “Ergonomics of the thermal environment—Cold workplaces—Risk assessment and management,” gives practical instructions for risk analysis and management in cold working conditions. It describes:
- A model and methods for risk assessment practices in cold work
- A model and method for occupational health care professionals to identify individuals having symptoms which increase their cold sensitivity, plus optimal guidance and instructions for individual cold protection
- Informative guidelines on how to apply different international thermal standards and other validated scientific methods when assessing cold-related risks
- A model and methods for cold risk management practices
- Practical examples of working in cold conditions
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Working in a cold environment can involve several adverse effects on human performance and health: Thermal discomfort, increased strain, decreased performance, and cold-related diseases and injuries. Cold can also interfere with several other factors in the workplace, modifying or aggravating the risk of common hazards and increasing the risk of cold-associated injuries.
A number of industries, types of commerce, and occupations involve substantial cold exposure. These include:
- Outdoors, such as the construction industry, maintenance of electrical power lines, gas lines, telecommunication systems, or road, agriculture and forestry work, fishing industry
- Indoors, such as the meat processing industry, cold stores in industry and in the transport chain from industry to the shops
It also includes working inside vehicles and inland and offshore work, but the standard is not applicable to diving or other types of work performed underwater.
“ISO 15743:2008 complements a series of ISO standards concerned with work in cold conditions as well as other areas of thermal stress,” said Professor Ken Parsons, chairman of the ISO subcommittee that developed the standard. “It supports good occupational health and safety practice and will help developers, manufacturers, management, occupational safety personnel, occupational health care workers and others.”
Two of the more extreme dangers of prolonged work in cold environments are frostbite and hypothermia.
Frostbite is a severe reaction by the skin to cold that can permanently damage fingers, toes, the nose, and the ear lobes. Our sister website, Safety.BLR.com, says that the symptoms of frostbite are a loss of feeling (numbness), whitish skin, and sometimes blisters. If medical help is not immediately available, the recommended treatment is to slowly re-warm affected areas, but do not soak them in hot water, rub them with your hands, or use a heat source.
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Hypothermia occurs when the entire body becomes cold, and the body’s core temperature drops below 95o F. Symptoms include uncontrollable shivering, drowsiness, disorientation, slurred speech, and exhaustion.
Workers who exhibit such symptoms should be kept as warm as possible until medical help arrives. If body temperature continues to drop, unconsciousness or even heart failure may result. The recommended procedure is to warm the torso first and then the arms and legs, using blankets, and to get the person into dry clothing if possible. Hypothermia victims should not be given any alcohol, hot beverages, or food.
Tomorrow we’ll look at some more tips for working in cold environments, and at a product that can help keep your workers safe in cold or hot temperatures.