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OSHA is implementing an enforcement initiative on heat-related hazards, developing a National Emphasis Program on heat inspections, and launching a rulemaking process to develop a workplace heat standard.
Employers have a responsibility to make sure their workers have access to warm, insulating winter gear when working outdoors in the winter or cold environments.
Extreme weather can present a major challenge for companies that make worksite safety a top priority. Conditions like lightning, strong winds and flooding can make good safety practices much harder to follow.
If outdoor workers are outfitted with proper PPE, their risks of getting hypothermia, frostbite, or catching a cold are greatly diminished. A side benefit of wearing proper PPE in harsh elements is that workers are more comfortable, which helps to improve performance and productivity.
Winter weather can range from moderate snow cover falling in a few hours to blizzards with blinding, wind-driven snow that lasts for several days. Winter weather can bring forth periodic storms that are accompanied by dangerously low temperatures and sometimes wind, ice and freezing rain.