The end of any winter often brings a welcome reintroduction to the great outdoors.

You may not need to worry about hypothermia and other dangers of the cold, but warm weather is not without its own risks, especially for people who work outdoors. Depending on what kind of outdoor exposure you’re getting, there are a few warm-weather hazards to monitor.

Share the following tips with your employees to help them stay safe during warmer months.

Outdoor slips and falls

Icy sidewalks aren’t the only cause of falls when you’re outdoors — potential tripping and slipping hazards can happen all year long.

Pay attention to the conditions of the surfaces you’re walking on. Parking lots, sidewalks, ramps and stairs can all have cracks, holes or uneven surfaces that could cause you to trip. Use handrails on stairs or ramps, and try to keep your hands free of encumbrances. Do not carry more than you can handle or items that block your vision.

Don’t take shortcuts through lawns or center islands. Uneven ground and concealed or hard-to-see holes can result in twisted ankles or worse.

Also, summer months might have employees wearing different footwear than at other times of the year. Flip-flops, sandals, loose-fitting shoes, high heels, cowboy boots, etc., all increase the risk of slip and fall injuries or feet and ankle injuries. Employers need to mandate proper footwear and enforce it with workers.

Also, report any unsafe outdoor conditions to the appropriate person.

Heat stress

When you’re working in the heat, it’s important to make sure you stay hydrated. If you aren’t taking in enough fluids or salts, it can lead to heat-related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion or heatstroke.

To prevent heat-related stress, give yourself time to adjust to hot weather by limiting your exposure at first, and gradually increasing the amount of time until your body has acclimated to the heat. Try to schedule work during the coolest parts of the day.

Drink plenty of liquids to replace what your body loses through sweating. You should be drinking approximately one cup of water every 15 minutes. Sports drinks with electrolytes are useful for replacing necessary salts, as well.

Don’t ignore symptoms of heat stress. Stop your work to cool off in a shaded or air-conditioned area if you experience dizziness, nausea or muscle cramping.

These tips are especially important for workers in certain industries. In early 2024, the American Society of Safety Professionals published the first national voluntary consensus standard addressing heat stress for workers in construction and demolition operations.

At a high level, the document:

• Provides guidance on protecting workers
• Outlines how to acclimate workers to high heat conditions
• Gives tips for training employees and supervisors

The standard also contains checklists and flowcharts designed to help employers develop heat stress management programs.

Lightning safety

If you work outdoors, it’s important to pay attention to weather patterns. Thunderstorms are common across the country, and lighting safety is vital for employees who work outdoors.

From 2006 through 2021, there were 444 lightning strike fatalities in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of those deaths occurred in June, July or August.

Stay up to date on weather forecasts and watch out for early warning signs. If a storm is predicted, don’t start working on projects you won’t be able to stop quickly.

Clouds that grow vertically into towering cumulus clouds are often the first sign of a developing storm. Other indicators include high winds, dark clouds, rain and distant thunder.

When you see lightning, count the seconds until you hear thunder. If the time is 30 seconds or less, then the storm is close enough to be dangerous. Leave any open-air structures or areas with tall trees and seek shelter inside an enclosed building. Metal-topped vehicles are also safe.

If you are outdoors, stay off and away from tall structures or large equipment. Do not touch anything that can conduct electricity. Wait at least 30 minutes following the last clap of thunder before resuming your work.

Insect-borne diseases

Summer is peak season for ticks and insect bites. If you work outdoors, be aware of the conditions that put you most at risk. Insects are most active at dawn, dusk and early evening in tall grass, shrubs and wooded areas.

You can avoid insect bites by wearing long pants, sleeves, closed-toe shoes and a hat. Use insect repellents on clothes and exposed skin.

After being outdoors, you should perform body checks for ticks. If one is found, remove it immediately with fine-tipped tweezers by pulling it straight out. Then cleanse the area with antiseptic.

At the same time, illnesses such as Lyme disease and West Nile virus can be passed on by deer ticks and mosquitos. An estimated 476,000 people are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease each year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . And in 2023, more than 2,400 cases of West Nile virus were detected across 47 jurisdictions.

If you suspect you or one of your employees may have contracted an illness, seek medical attention right away.

Conclusion

Spring and summer months come with their own unique safety risks.

Getting back outside after a long winter can feel like a relief, but don’t let that cause you to let your guard down while working outside.

Lastly, federal officials have created a heat safety tool app employers can use as an additional resource.

Originally published in May 2019; updated May 2024.

​Nearly 43,000 Americans died in car crashes in 2022, a number that has been on the rise in recent years.

It is a grim reminder that adopting safe driving practices can be lifesaving.

Safe driving habits

Defensive driving and other safe driving techniques are learned habits. Here are some tips to help equip employees and yourself with the knowledge you need to be safer on the roads.

Identify the following common hazards and actively avoid them:

• Changing road or traffic conditions. Adjust your driving to match the traffic around you, and the weather and road conditions.
• Impaired driving. Never drive with alcohol or drugs in your system and keep an eye out for other drivers that may be impaired.
• Distractions, such as food, maps, and cell phones. Avoid distractions that take your attention away from driving or your hands off the wheel. Pull over and stop if you need to text or make a call.
• Driving while sleepy or drowsy. Pull over and rest if you are tired.

Adopt the safe driving procedures:

• Always wear your seatbelt.
• Drive at a speed safe for the weather conditions. Snow and rain may warrant slowing down below the posted limits.
• Maintain space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. A safe margin is 2-4 seconds when weather and traffic conditions are ideal, and longer if conditions are slippery or traffic is congested. Commercial vehicles should always maintain a 4-plus second space in front of their vehicle.
• Regularly glance two to three vehicles ahead of you, behind you and to your sides, and use your mirrors to check blind spots.
• Look left, right and left again before entering an intersection.
• Ensure the path is clear, even if you have the right of way at an intersection.
• Maintain an escape route in case of an unexpected event.

Company cellphone policy

Cellphone use is a major contributor to distracted driving and therefore driving-related injuries and deaths. The National Safety Council reports that nearly 12 percent of fatal crashes in in 2021 involved cellphone use.

Meanwhile, 34 states bar people from using hand-held cellphones while driving, and only one state does not prohibit people from texting and driving, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association .

Company policy should address cellphone use if you have employees whose job includes driving. Not only does it help keep employees safe, but it could help your organization’s bottom line. The National Safety Council reports that employers have been held liable for crashes caused by employee cell phone use, including the use of hands-free devices.

SFM provides a sample cellphone policy CompTalk in our Resource Catalog. This example policy prohibits any use of phones while driving for work, regardless of an employee’s use of hands-free devices. It requires employees pull over and stop before calling, answering, or texting using a cellphone.

Employee training

After establishing company-supported safe driving practices and a cell phone policy, be sure to train employees on them and follow up regularly to ensure employees are following the guidelines.

Lastly, SFM also offers training tools on defensive driving and cellphone use in our Resource Catalog.

By Mike Fetting, CIEE, Loss Prevention Specialist

While injuries often occur when lifting or moving is involved, implementing a program that focuses on proper ergonomics can greatly reduce incidents.

Challenges with larger muscle groups (primarily the back and shoulders) are often easier to identify and control than those associated with repetitive motion risk factors.

Injuries can be caused by moving something that is too heavy or repeatedly handling something that is slightly heavy but in an awkward position (overhead, near ground level, or while twisting).

Establish a program to prevent injuries

A safe lifting/back injury prevention program includes the following elements:

• A designated coordinator
• Workforce training
• Identification of high-risk tasks
• Implementation of controls
• Early intervention

Consider creating an ergonomics safety committee to maintain focus on ergonomic challenges and improvements, if you don’t have one already. SFM’s Safety Committee webpage is an excellent resource for creating a committee. This team is ideally comprised of members with basic ergonomic awareness training (possibly some with advanced training in ergonomic evaluations).

Together, the team can explore ergonomic interventions such as job rotation, stretching, and wellness activities. Ergonomic experts and guests can also be helpful when a professional evaluation is needed.

Use the following approaches to reduce the chance of injuries:

Engineering

Engineering is the most effective intervention. Manipulators and robots are more expensive solutions, but can quickly pay for themselves if even a few severe injuries are avoided. Additionally, there could be added productivity benefits. There are also other simpler, less-expensive controls that can be implemented:

• Raising items off the floor — Some items just need a stand to be stored on and accessed more easily
• Adding a hoist — There are devices to grab almost any shape (hooks, straps, clamps, magnets, or vacuum heads)

Job rotation

The tasks should alternate between light and heavy work.

Safe lifting training

Two key messages to remember are “keep your head up” (this forces you to use your knees and keep your back straight) and “shuffle your feet to turn – don’t twist.”

Stretching and flexing

While not considered as effective as engineering or job rotation, stretching and flexing can warm up the muscles and get them ready for work.

Intervene early and be proactive

Early intervention can keep nagging soreness from becoming a more serious injury. Encourage early reporting and respond positively. Reduce exposure time through task improvements or job rotation, and employ targeted stretching to aid in simple recovery.

Technology can also be used to create a solid ergonomic program. These are best used to improve ergonomics in areas with consistently poor lifting techniques and include:

• Exoskeletons — Frames that are worn by the employee to assist in lifting and/or control posture to avoid awkward positions.
• Wearable sensors — These work by sensing rather than controlling body position.
• Video analysis — These new systems only need a video taken with your phone and a few data entry points to create an ergonomic evaluation. Areas with the most issues can be targeted for improvement.

The best solutions preserve employee health, increase production, and can even enlarge your job candidate pool. In the long term, fewer injuries often mean savings in insurance too.

Additional resources:

• Prevent strains and sprains through proper ergonomics
• Avoid lifting injuries
• Stretching and movement – Get up and move at work
• Use SFM’s Lift Safety 5-Minute Solution for additional tips; our safety video lending library also has many back safety videos
• Visit our resource catalog for additional ergonomic resources you can order or download

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Originally posted September 2023; updated May 2024.