Cold Hard Facts
Make more informed actions when dealing with winter weather by checking out the topics listed below.
Put Your Best Boot Forward
Choose boots that will keep your feet warm, dry, and stable in wintry conditions. Here are some resources to get started:
- Rate My Treads has been testing winter footwear for slip resistance in different winter conditions.
- Check out their Complete List of Footwear tested to see how your boots or cleats/spikes match up, or to shop for a new effective pair.
- Look for new ice-grip technology (see Vibram Arctic Grip and Green Diamond) containing rubber soles with binding agents and shavings of fiberglass or quartz.
- Some brands known for safer soles, such as the kind listed above, are Sperry, Wind River, Merrell, and Hush Puppy.
No matter what footwear you choose, melting snow tracked in from boots makes floors indoors as slippery as the ice outside. Do your part to help keep everyone safe by stamping and wiping your feet to remove excess snow on the entrance mats each time you enter a building.
Slip Sliding Away...
Even with proper footwear and treated walkways, slips can still catch us off-guard. Reduce your chance of falling this season by using the following best practices:
Use Three Points of Contact
When getting in and out of vehicles, remember to use three points of contact, such as two hands and one foot, or one hand and two feet. This gives you something to hold on to or stabilize yourself if you slip.
Your chances of suffering an injury increase if you are carrying something in your hands, such as a purse, lunch bag, or laptop bag. Consider using a backpack to keep your hands free to help with balance.
Walk Like a Penguin
Watch this video to find out how!
To Salt, or Not to Salt...
Although salt, deicers, and sand are widely used for reducing icy pathways, each has its limits. Knowing how and when to best utilize these materials will help prevent unnecessary pollution. Here are some facts to keep in mind.
Using a homemade brine solution on pavement before a storm can help make snow and ice removal a lot easier. Read more in this National Geographic article
Salts and deicers stop being effective in melting ice at certain temperatures. There’s a list of chemicals and their limits in this Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance brochure.
Salt is only effective when the air temperature is warmer than the pavement temperature.
A little salt goes a long way! Approximately 3 inches between salt crystals is ideal. Excess salt does not increase effectiveness and only adds to pollution, such as:
- Permanently changing the chemistry of soil and water, which various life in the Fox Valley–including humans, pets, game fish, and plant life–depend on to survive
- Soil characteristics change, causing compaction and/or erosion
- Chemical and structural damages to metals and pavement, such as causing rust on cars and corrosion of pipes.
Excess sand and other abrasives used to increase traction on slippery surfaces can also cause problems, such as clogging of sewer pipes and sedimentation in waterways.
See the following resources for more information:
Hypothermia occurs when the normal body temperature (98.6°F) drops to less than 95°F. Exposure to cold temperatures causes the body to lose heat faster than it can be produced. Prolonged exposure to cold will eventually use up the body’s stored energy. The result is hypothermia, or abnormally low body temperature. Hypothermia is most likely at very cold temperatures, but it can occur even at cool temperatures (above 40°F) if a person becomes chilled from rain, sweat, or immersion in cold water.
An important mild symptom of hypothermia is uncontrollable shivering, which should not be ignored. Although shivering indicates that the body is losing heat, it also helps the body to rewarm itself. Moderate to severe symptoms of hypothermia are loss of coordination, confusion, slurred speech, heart rate/breathing slow, unconsciousness and possibly death.
- Call 911 immediately in an emergency:
- Move the worker to a warm, dry area.
- Remove any wet clothing and replace with dry clothing. Wrap the entire body (including the head and neck) in layers of blankets; do not cover the face.
Source: National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, 2018
Frostbite is caused by the freezing of the skin and tissues. Frostbite can cause permanent damage to the body, and in severe cases can lead to amputation.
Symptoms include development of gray/white patches on the cold, red skin of fingers, toes, nose, or ear lobes; tingling, aching, a loss of feeling, firmness/hardness, and blisters may occur in the affected areas.
- Get into a warm environment!
- Protect the frostbitten area from contact until medical help arrives, e.g., by wrapping loosely in a dry cloth.
- DO NOT rub the affected area, because rubbing causes damage to the skin and tissue.
- Do not apply snow or water. Do not break blisters.
- DO NOT try to warm the frostbitten area before getting medical help. If a frostbitten area is warmed and gets frozen again, more tissue damage will occur. It is safer for the frostbitten area to be warmed by medical professionals.
- Give warm, sweetened drinks if alert (no alcohol).