Workers across the north are at increased risk of injury as the cold weather is expected to sweep through the region next week.
According to WorkSafeBC, about 100 claims were accepted by the agency for injuries related to cold stress between 2017 and 2021 – 80% of those claims occurred between November and March.
Senior Manager of Prevention, Barry Nakahara told Vista Radio workplaces should never wait until a cold spell arrives to be prepared.
“It’s always good to be prepared for that. We usually see an increase in slips, trips, and falls injuries between November and March and many of them can be fairly serious in terms of injuries that include fractures, sprains, and dislocations.”
Nakahara mentioned it’s not uncommon for workers and employers to take a leisurely approach to these types of weather events.
“It’s easy to get complacent throughout the year when temperatures are a little more moderate, mild, and more favorable to doing work outdoors. Both heat and cold situations can be fairly extreme.”
“I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to not wait until these circumstances happen to make changes. Think about what is coming down the pipe and how that is going to impact your work.”
He adds with road conditions ranging from blizzard conditions to heavy rain, workers are 18% more likely to be injured in a motor vehicle incident during the winter.
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