As the winter holiday season fast approaches, now is a good time for outdoor workers and their employers to review some essential winter safety tips so that these employees have minimal chances of being injured due to working in cold winter conditions.

In this three-part blog series, we’ll highlight some essential winter safety tips for outdoor workers. If you or a loved one ends up being hurt at work in any way this winter season, don’t hesitate to contact Denver, Colorado Workers’ Compensation Attorney Michael P. Dominick for experienced help obtaining the full amount of workers’ compensation benefits to which you are entitled.

The Risks of Working Outdoors in the Winter

As the winter holiday season fast approaches, now is a good time for outdoor workers and their employers to review these essential winter safety tips.

Before delving into some specific winter safety tips, it’s first important to understand the unique risks that working outdoors in the winter presents to people. In fact, for outdoor workers, the following are just some of the risks that the winter season ushers in:

• Trench foot – This is a condition in which prolonged exposure of the feet to damp, cold and wet conditions results in the feet losing circulation, turning red or blue and/or becoming numb.

  Without immediate intervention, trench foot can result in the early stages of tissue death (necrosis), fungal infections, gangrene and other serious complications. If these complications aren’t promptly and appropriately treated, people may end up needing to have part or all of their feet amputated.

• Frostbite – This injury occurs when the skin and its underlying tissues essentially freeze.

  While the initial stages of frostbite are typically marked by the skin becoming cold, red, numb and pale, as this serious condition progresses, it can end up causing bone and joint problems, gangrene and even hypothermia. Generally, the areas of the skin exposed to the cold are those that are most likely to develop frostbite.

• Hypothermia – Considered to be a medical emergency, hypothermia develops when the body cannot keep itself warm enough and, consequently, the body temperature drops dangerously low. When this occurs, there is a significant risk that the body’s essential systems and organs will stop working, causing organ failure, the heart to stop and, ultimately, death.

We will resume this discussion regarding essential winter safety tips for outdoor workers in the upcoming second and third installment of this blog series – don’t miss them!

Colorado Workers’ Compensation Lawyers at the Law Office of Michael P. Dominick

If you have sustained a workplace injury and are considering (or in the process of) filing a workers’ compensation claim, contact the Colorado workers’ compensation lawyers at the Law Office of Michael P. Dominick. Our legal professionals are experienced at going up against corporate lawyers and insurance companies, and we have a proven track record of success when it comes to securing our Clients the maximum possible compensation for their injuries and financial losses.

For a thorough evaluation of your case, along with expert advice on the best manner in which to move forward, call us at (303) 447-2644. You can also email us using the contact form on this page.