{"id":4634,"date":"2019-01-17T16:45:25","date_gmt":"2019-01-17T20:45:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/?p=4634"},"modified":"2019-01-17T16:49:44","modified_gmt":"2019-01-17T20:49:44","slug":"workers-compensation-and-winter-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/workers-compensation-and-winter-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Worker\u2019s Compensation and Winter Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/bigstock-Rear-View-Of-Man-Holding-Shove-270886921.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-4636\" src=\"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/bigstock-Rear-View-Of-Man-Holding-Shove-270886921-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Rear view of man holding shovel over his shoulder and preparing for shoveling snow.\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/bigstock-Rear-View-Of-Man-Holding-Shove-270886921-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/bigstock-Rear-View-Of-Man-Holding-Shove-270886921-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/bigstock-Rear-View-Of-Man-Holding-Shove-270886921.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">North Carolina already had one significant snowfall during December of 2018 and early in 2018, southeast Virginia was struck by a crippling blizzard. Ice, snow, and cold weather can make it extremely difficult to work \u2013 especially for construction workers and anyone who works outside. Anyone who walks outside may <a href=\"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/practice-areas\/slip-and-fall\/\" title=\"Slip and Fall\">slip and fall<\/a> on the ice. Well-known dangers, although rare in our neck of the woods, \u00a0include hypothermia and frostbite.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some examples of outdoor work include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/strong-representation-for-injuries-due-to-construction-work\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Construction work<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Snow cleanup crews<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Police officers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Firefighters<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sanitation workers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emergency medical technicians<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/why-car-accidents-and-injuries-to-workers-in-north-carolina-and-virginia-construction-zones-are-so-common\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Highway maintenance crews<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Landscapers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HVAC Technicians<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Utility Workers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Refuse and Recyclable Collectors<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Surveyors<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cold weather can be relative. Some climates are known for their cold weather and people there understand what steps are needed to protect roads, pipes from bursting due to freezing, and most of all people. Other climates including southern climates often don\u2019t understand how to respond to cold weather and the city crews with their meager supplies and equipment are quickly overwhelmed when extreme winter weather takes over. It is not their fault; it is simply such a rarity that it is not worth the expenditure to purchase the extra equipment. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><i>The OSHA Cold Stress Guide<\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As with all worker\u2019s compensation claims, there is no requirement to prove fault. If an accident at work causes the employee to be injured, the employee has a right to demand wage loss benefits and payment for the medical costs to get healthy again. The employer is generally liable even if it did everything it could to prevent the accident. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Employers and employees should both understand the risks of working in cold weather and to how to minimize those risks. The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/SLTC\/emergencypreparedness\/guides\/cold.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Occupational Safety and Health Administration<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> does have some guidelines on what employers can do to help any worker who works outside in extreme cold or a combination of cold and wet weather.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still, employers are required to comply with \u201chazard-specific safety and health standards.\u201d Employers must also \u201cprovide their employees with a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm.\u201d Employers should also use standards that are commonplace in their industry.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><i>Risk factors for cold stress<\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cold weather includes more than just looking at the temperature. It also requires looking at how wind chill makes it feel colder. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to wind, the following factors can make cold weather more difficult to manage, according to OSHA:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wet and damp weather<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Employee fatigue<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not being properly dressed for winter. Workers should wear layered clothing and have protection for their hands, fingers, feet, toes and face.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Workers who are in poor health or who have certain risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, and hypothyroidism should stay inside.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cold weather places stress on the body by shifting blood flow, over time, away from the extremities to the body\u2019s internal organs, the chest, and the abdomen. This shift plus any exposure of the extremities increases the body\u2019s risk for hypothermia, frostbite, and trench foot. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><i>What is hypothermia?<\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hypothermia is a dangerous condition which happens \u201cwhen body heat is lost faster than it can be replaced.\u201d Another factor is that the body\u2019s temperature drops to below 95 degrees F instead of its normal temperature of 98.6 degrees F. Hypothermia normally occurs at very cold temperatures. It can, however, happen even at temperatures above 40 degrees F if other elements exist. These elements include exposure to rain, sweating, or being submersed in cold water such as falling into a lake or pond.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hypothermia symptoms. Mild symptoms include shivering and stomping one\u2019s feet to try to get the blood circulating. More serious conditions include a falling body temperature. The worker will stop shivering and may become confused and disoriented. He\/she may show signs of losing coordination. Workers may not be able to stand. Their pupils become dilated. Their pulse and breathing slow. Workers with hypothermia may lose consciousness. In tragic cases, they may if they don\u2019t get immediate help.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Treatment for hypothermia. Any worker, supervisor, or helper should call 911 or seek immediate medical help. Some of the many common steps OSHA recommends include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moving the worker to a dry, warm location<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taking off any wet clothes and putting on dry clothes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Covering the whole body including the head and neck with blankets \u2013 and with \u201ca vapor barrier.\u201d The face should not be covered.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If medical help is over 30 minutes away, the worker should<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be given warm sweet drinks (but no alcoholic drinks) which can help raise the worker\u2019s body temperature. If the person isn\u2019t conscious, then he\/she should not be given a drink.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Placing \u201cwarm bottles or hot packs in the armpits, the sides of the chest, and the groin. Call 911 for additional rewarming instructions.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the worker isn\u2019t breathing or doesn\u2019t have a pulse, a call to 911 for emergency help should be made immediately. Additionally, OSHA recommends:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That the general instructions above, other than being given fluids, should be followed<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The worker should be checked again for signs of breathing and for a pulse. The check should be for 60 seconds.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A 911 operator or emergency medical service worker should start chest compressions \u2013 or direct someone at the site on how to perform chest compressions. OSHA\u2019s cold weather guidelines provide that \u201cChest compressions are recommended only if the patient will not receive medical care within 3 hours.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b><i>The dangers of frostbite?<\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Frostbite occurs when the skin freezes and the tissue beneath the skin is affected. The lower the temperature, the greater the risk of frostbite. The hands and face are normally the parts of the body affected. In severe cases, amputation may be required.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Frostbite symptoms include red skin with gray and white patches. There\u2019s numbness in the body part affected. There can be a feeling of hardness in the hand, foot, or body part. In severe cases, there may be blisters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Treatment for frostbite<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Generally, the treatments for hypothermia should also be used to treat frostbite. Additional treatment considerations include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do loosely cover the affected body part and try to protect that part.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do give the worker warm sweetened drinks \u2013 if they are alert but not if they are unconscious. Don\u2019t give the worker any alcohol.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t do the following:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t rub the frostbitten party of the body. This can cause more harm.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t apply water or snow.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t break the blisters<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t try to rewarm the frostbitten area yourself such as by placing the hand or foot in warm water. This can cause tissue damage. Instead, be sure to get medical help. Medical professionals should understand the right way to warm the affected part.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Attorney Joe Miller Esq. fights for injured workers in North Carolina and Virginia. He\u2019s been helping workers get just recoveries for 30 years. Attorney Miller works with your doctors and independent doctors to fully understand your medical needs. To make an appointment, call 1<\/span><b>-(888) 694-1671<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or fill out my <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/contact-us\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">contact form<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>North Carolina already had one significant snowfall during December of 2018 and early in 2018, southeast Virginia was struck by a crippling blizzard. Ice, snow, and cold weather can make it extremely difficult to work \u2013 especially for construction workers and anyone who works outside. Anyone who walks outside may slip and fall on the &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"Worker\u2019s Compensation and Winter Safety\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/workers-compensation-and-winter-safety\/#more-4634\" aria-label=\"Read more about Worker\u2019s Compensation and Winter Safety\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[223,54,1],"tags":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Joe Miller","author_link":"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/author\/jmiller\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"North Carolina already had one significant snowfall during December of 2018 and early in 2018, southeast Virginia was struck by a crippling blizzard. Ice, snow, and cold weather can make it extremely difficult to work \u2013 especially for construction workers and anyone who works outside. Anyone who walks outside may slip and fall on the&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4634"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4634\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}