This document provides safety tips and information for winter weather. It discusses making safety resolutions for the new year, including becoming more involved in safety at work and home through activities like first aid training. It then provides tips for safe driving in winter conditions like skidding, and preparation steps to take. Finally, it lists additional winter safety tips such as dressing appropriately for cold weather, taking breaks when doing physical exertion outside, and operating snow blowers safely.

1. Think Abel – Think Safety
PEO Services
Winter 2010
Making a Safety Resolution this Year… Safety Training Tips
Well here it is, the beginning of another New Year, 2010. Wow, where did 2009 go? Studies have shown that the smaller the group,
I can remember watching old science fiction movies in the 1960’s and 1970’s that the more effective a supervisor can be deliver-
had the setting of 2010 as “being in the future”. ing safety training.
So would it be safe to say that we are currently in the future? Smaller groups allow for more interactive
training and actually put pressure on people
What do the movies of today use as future dates?
to participate since you can’t get lost in the
Many of us will celebrate the holidays with our friends and family and never give crowd.
thought to what lies ahead for us in the New Year. What kind of year will it be? Will
When you must do safety training for a large
it be my year this year? We hope for good health, good fortune, and many other
group, say more than 10 people, consider break-
wishful things that could fill these pages forever.
ing the group down into smaller segments when
Many of you, like myself, will make some kind of resolution or promise on New it’s time to do very specific procedures, like
Years Eve; lose weight, quit smoking, get rich, etc. Many of those resolutions will turning a machine on and off safely.
never see the next day, never mind the whole year.
Keys to good instruction
As a Safety Consultant I sometimes wonder how many of you actually proclaim or
resolve that this year will be your safest year ever? Whether you are training one employee or 100,
practicing these four steps in all your training
No I didn’t think so… Well why not?
efforts will get the best results over time.
This could very well be the year that you make a resolution to become more actively
1. Prepare workers – Put them at ease by ask-
involved in the overall safety of yourself, your family, and your employees. By sim-
ing simple questions about the job, questions
ple planning and executing monthly safety meetings, daily 5 minute safety discus-
they can answer properly and begin to feel a
sions, or making a fire evacuation plan at home will be a productive tool in reducing
sense of confidence. Then you build on the
loss time injuries to everyone you have contact with. Maybe even getting more
confidence as you go.
involved with a safety program at work, or learning basic first aid, or how about tak-
ing a CPR course all of which can benefit anyone, anywhere at anytime. Oh yes time, 2. Present the information – Tell, show or
so little time… Many of these courses are less then 3 hours, require no previous illustrate clearly, making one point at a time.
knowledge, some reading and yes a little time. Charts, graphs or PowerPoints are great ways
to inform. Again, simplicity is key.
I guess my message to all those who are reading this is, try and set your mind to pro-
moting safety this year, become involved, take a First Aid course, learn CPR, find the 3. Test performance – Check how well peo-
time and make this the year that you resolve to be the safest year at work, home and ple have understood your instructions by
on the road. As I have said many times, you get out of something what you put into having them perform it in front of you.
it, putting Safety First will certainly be worth the effort you took to make it work. Later, when you can, observe without them
even knowing.
Together we can make 2010 our safest yet!
4. Follow up – Check back at times to see that
people are still following your instructions. If
RIDDLE: not, retrain, or discipline if you think they’re
What vehicle is spelled the same backwards and forwards? deliberately ignoring safety.
Worth repeating
When it comes to safety training, there are
three kinds of trainees: the few who learn by
reading, the few who learn by observation,
and the rest – who just have to touch the
electric fence for themselves.

2. Freezing Facts You're starting to skid!!
1. During the heating months of winter, the The road is snowy, icy, or just wet, and roads, you should be wearing comfortable
relative humidity of the average without warning your car starts to skid. footwear at the wheel rather than snow
American home is only 13%, nearly The most unexpected skids occur on wet boots, to give you greater control on the
twice as dry as the Sahara Desert. roads, with what's known as hydroplaning. pedals. You should also be driving at much
2. Regardless of what your grandmother When this happens, a layer of water slower, safe speed, avoiding any sudden
said, it never gets too cold to snow. between the tires and the road surface jerky movements and reducing your rate of
Records show that snow fell in reduces the tires' friction and, therefore, travel to a retiree's Sunday drive as you
Antarctica's Little America while the their grip. That's the technical stuff: here's approach any bends.
thermometer registered at -65° F. how to save your butt. You'll have checked the pressure and tread
3. As your body gets colder, muscle ten- Resist the natural urge to hit the brakes-- depth of your tires before venturing out (3
sion builds, gradually leading to the you'll be face first in a ditch before you can mm tread is OK, less than 2 mm is asking
tremors know as shivering. The synchro- mutter, Oh #@$&! Instead, depress the for trouble), and obviously you'll have
nized muscular contractions occur at clutch, ease off the accelerator, and simply packed a shovel in the trunk in case you
rates of 10 to 20 per second, generating (and smoothly) steer into the direction of get snowed under, and a nice flask of soup.
heat to warm the internal organs. the skid until you've regained control of Diligent preparation is admittedly a hassle,
the car. but at least you'll reach your destination in
4. A sudden bizarre drop in temperature
occurred on December 24, 1924, when In winter conditions, preparation is often one piece and with the warm glow of satis-
the temperature in Fairfield, Montana the key. If there's snow on the ground or faction that only a good cream of mush-
fell 84 degrees in 12 hours from 63° F at there's a decent chance of ice being on the room can give.
noon to -21° F at midnight.
5. When the body cannot completely offset A Few More Winter Tips
heat loss, hypothermia, the drop in inter-
Dress for the Season
nal body temperature (core) to 95
Winter has arrived and you should dress for the season.
degrees or below, can occur. Such heat
1. Wear loose, lightweight, warm clothing in several layers. Trapped air between layers
loss can be extremely dangerous and can
acts as an insulator. Layers can be removed to avoid perspiration and subsequent chill.
lead to death.
2. Outer garments should be tightly woven, water repellent and hooded.
6. Each year, 9,000 to 10,000 Americans 3. Always wear a hat or cap on your head since half of your body heat could be lost
suffer the painful effects of frostbite. The through an uncovered head.
old wives' tale that says you should treat 4. Cover your mouth with a scarf to protect your lungs from extreme cold.
frostbite by rubbing the area with snow 5. Mittens, snug at the wrist, are better than gloves because fingers maintain more warmth
or soaking it in cold water is wrong. The when they touch each other.
affected areas need to be warmed (not
scalded) as quickly as possible. Physical Exertion
Winter storm conditions and cold waves are the deadliest types of weather.
7. Hypothermia is a killer, particularly for
elderly people. Some initial signs are Cold temperatures put an extra strain on your heart. Heavy exertion, such as shoveling
clumsiness, disorientation, & drowsiness. snow, clearing debris or pushing a car, increase the risk of a heart attack.
8. If you are administering first aid to To avoid problems, remember these tips:
someone suffering from hypothermia, 1. Stay warm, dress warm and SLOW DOWN when working outdoors.
concentrate on rewarming the victim's 2. Take frequent rests to avoid over exertion.
body around the ribs and heart first to 3. If you feel chest pain -- STOP and seek help immediately.
increase the core temperature--not the Snow Blower Safety
extremities. If the person is conscious, Do you have a snow blower? Did you know that most snow blower injuries happen
give them a warm sweet nonalcoholic because the operator did not read the operating instructions?
drink. Seek emergency medical attention. So, read your owners manual and follow these tips:
9. The lowest recorded body temperature 1. Never leave your snow blower running and unattended.
with a full recovery was 56.6° F. This 2. Make sure the discharge chute is not aimed at passing motorists or pedestrians.
was the temperature of Anna who found 3. Never put your hands into the discharge chute or augers to clear stuck snow and ice.
herself trapped under ice for 80 minutes 4. Never add fuel when the engine is running and hot.
in May 1999 while skiing with friends. 5. Make sure you know how to turn the machine off quickly.
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