With a big winter storm dumping snow across multiple states on Sunday, Jan. 5 and Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, and a polar vortex predicted to bring subfreezing temperatures later this week, cold weather safety should be top of mind for many employers.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) urges caution when working outdoors in extreme cold weather. NIOSH’s director, John Howard, emphasized in a January 2025 newsletter the importance of protecting workers outdoors from the effects of cold weather.

Snow, ice, severely cold temperatures and wind chills can threaten worker health and safety in a number of ways, including hypothermia, frostbite and slips and falls.

• Hypothermia results from prolonged exposure to cold that uses up a body’s stored energy, resulting in an abnormally low body temperature. This can affect the brain, making the person unable to think clearly or move well.
• Frostbite is caused by part of the body freezing, resulting in loss of feeling and color in the affected areas—typically the nose, ears, chin, fingers or toes. It can permanently damage body tissue, and, in severe cases, require amputation.
• Trench foot is caused by prolonged exposure to wet and cold conditions because wet feet lose heat 25 times faster than dry feet. To try to protect itself, the body constricts blood vessels in the feet, shutting down circulation and causing the skin tissue to die from lack of oxygen.
• Chilblains are caused by repeated exposure of the skin to temperatures just above freezing to as high as 60°F. The cold exposure causes damage to the small blood vessels in the skin and can cause permanent damage, usually on cheeks, ears, fingers and toes.

“With all the talk around heat stress this year, it’s easy to forget about cold weather hazards,” said Mike Starner, executive director of outside line safety for NECA. “That may be changing now that winter storms are moving across the United States and we work to prepare our folks for the cold. Cold stress, like its warm weather counterpart, is best managed proactively by developing a program that prioritizes preparedness, training and protective equipment.

Precautions suggested by NIOSH for those working in frigid conditions include:

• Wear several layers of loose clothing to improve insulation.
• Avoid wearing clothing that restricts movement.
• Be sure to protect the ears, face, hands and feet.
• Boots should be waterproof and insulated.
• Wear a hat: 7%–10% of body heat escapes from the head.
• Go to warmer locations during breaks.
• Carry extra socks, gloves, hat, jacket, clothes and blankets.
• Include a thermometer and chemical hot packs in first aid kits.
• Avoid touching cold metal surfaces with bare skin.
• Monitor your physical condition and that of your co-workers.

Protective clothing should be worn any time the temperature is 40°F or lower. Multiple layers provide more insulation than one thick layer, as well as more options, such as removing layers according to changing temperatures. Inner layers should wick away sweat, while outer layers should be waterproof.

NIOSH also offers suggestions to employers of outside workers for avoiding winter weather hazards, such as scheduling jobs for warmer months or the warmer part of the day whenever possible, assigning extra workers for long jobs, and limiting the time they spend outside.

Other ideas during cold periods include providing warm, sweet beverages (and avoiding beverages with caffeine) and offering cold stress training that includes information on worker risk, prevention strategies, symptoms, treatment options and use of personal protective equipment.