Working in Cold Conditions: Preventing Hypothermia

Working in the cold exposes you to the risk of hypothermia. Hypothermia is a potentially dangerous drop in body temperature. It can be very serious, but it is easily preventable if you take some simple precautions:

• Dress in several layers of loose, warm clothing. Choose synthetic materials over cotton. This will keep moisture away from your skin. Make sure your clothing does not cut off circulation to any of your body parts.
• If your clothing becomes wet, remove it and change into dry clothing as soon as possible.
• Consume warm, high-calorie foods, including warm soups and sweet drinks, while working in cold conditions.
• Avoid caffeine when working in the cold. (Caffeine actually causes you to become colder because it is a diuretic, and diuretics remove heat retaining water from your body through urination.)
• Stay in good shape through regular exercise, plenty of sleep, and a healthy diet.
• If you have a medical issue, tell your medical provider that you may work in the cold as part of your job. You may need to get a medical exam before working in the cold to make sure you can safely do so.
• Avoid long periods of sitting and standing still.
• In very cold weather, take periodic breaks in a warm, sheltered area.

You should seek medical help for all cases of hypothermia, even mild ones. While you wait for medical help to arrive, here is what you can do:

• Remove the affected person from the cold environment to a warm shelter.
• Remove wet and cold clothing.
• Wrap the affected person in dry, nonheated blankets.
• Warm the internal areas (neck, chest, abdomen, groin) first. Arms and legs should be warmed last.
• Do not place the affected person in front of a heater or apply heated blankets or pads.

For more information or questions about working in cold conditions, please speak with your supervisor or contact the Campus Life Safety and Regulatory Compliance team.