Category Archives: Weather Protection

Weather Protection

How HGV drivers can stay safe on the roads during bad weather

Written by Peter Scully

Driving an HGV in bad weather can make for great TV, but in real life it can make a difficult job even more challenging. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to keep yourself safe on the roads even in bad weather.

Remember engines don’t like cold

Engines depend on fluids running through them (e.g. oil and petrol). The colder it gets, the more these liquids solidify and the more they solidify, the longer it takes to warm them up to the point where they run freely.

This means that as temperatures begin to drop you want to start allowing extra time for your engine to warm up before you start driving. In early winter 5 minutes might do it, but when temperatures are at their lowest, you might need to allow as much as 15. It’s important to do this because it will keep your engine, literally, running smoothly, which keeps you safer and reduces the chances of it being damaged.

You need to be able to see where you’re going

One of the liquids in your engine will be windscreen wiper and you need to make sure that this is fully topped-up and also that it has antifreeze in it, for when temperatures drop below zero.

Visibility is always an issue in bad weather, especially in the colder months when there is minimal daylight, so you will need to make a particular effort to make sure that your windscreen is always kept clean (and hence clear) along with your mirrors and lights. You can take care of all this while your engine is warming.

Salt is good for tires but bad for metalwork

Salt or grit may help your tires to grip but it does not replace good treads so keep a particularly close eye on how your tires are wearing. Salt is horrendous for bodywork (and the abrasiveness of grit isn’t good news for it either). You’ll therefore have to make a point of cleaning the metalwork regularly; otherwise you will wind up with rust issues.

Wind speed means wind strength

The faster a wind is blowing the stronger it is. This probably won’t be too much of an issue if an HGV has a decent load in it, although you will have to drive with extra care. It can, however, be a serious safety threat to empty HGVs which, while heavy vehicles, are light enough to be tipped over in strong gales.

Ideally, you should avoid driving at all in this kind of weather, however, if you absolutely must, go slowly and keep as far to the curb side of the road/motorway lane as you possibly can. That way if the wind starts pushing you to the side you have a bit more time to respond before being pushed across the road into another lane.

Standard driving rules apply even more than usual

Driving an HGV is an exercise in thinking ahead to anticipate and avoid difficult situations. The problem in bad weather is that the limited visibility restricts your ability to see the road and hence limits the information available to you. Because of this you need to slow your speed as much as you can and be extra-aware that you are maintaining safe distances.

NDS are a certified HGV driver training school based in Nottingham, UK. 

Weather Protection

How to Keep Your Workplace and Employees Safe During Disasters

Hurricanes. Tornadoes. Fires. Floods. All of these are disasters that can wreak serious havoc on your business, especially if you’re not prepared. Maybe you’ve never experienced a disaster firsthand. But chances are you will experience one at some point, as they occur more frequently and inflict billions of dollars of damage on businesses across the country.

Before disaster strikes, it’s important to have a plan. That might seem like an obvious statement, but the fact is that 70% of small business owners say they don’t have a written plan in place. Not having a plan can cost your business dearly.

Check out these startling facts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency:

  • 40% to 60% of small businesses don’t reopen after a disaster.
  • 90% of small businesses close within a year of a disaster if they can’t reopen within five days.

That’s why you should think through any potential risks that could face your business, determine how you would respond to them, and communicate your plan with your employees.

Before a disaster, you should verify your Google My Business listing. That’s where you can update your hours of operation and communicate with customers in the event of a disaster. You should also back up all of your documents, including your list of important contacts, install smart devices to detect weather emergencies, and connect Wifi-enabled cameras to ensure that you have a visual record of what your business looks like before and after a disaster to make the small business insurance claim process easier.

During a disaster, your number one priority is your employees’ safety. Communicate with them using group chats. Switch to a remote work setup to steer them away from dangerous conditions. You should also stay in touch with your customers by redirecting business phone calls to a line that you are monitoring and editing your hours in Google My Business.

After a disaster, if everyone is safe, you can begin to rebuild your business and give back to your community.

Check out this infographic with tips to keep your workplace safe before, during, and after a disaster.

 

 

Weather Protection

How Businesses Can Become More Environmentally Friendly

How Businesses Can Become More Environmentally Friendly

By February this year, air pollution levels had already exceeded the legal limit in London. This is alarming considering that only recently the toxicity in air pollution was linked to a child’s death in the capital. Not only does pollution have a detrimental effect on people’s health, but it also contributes to global warming – damaging earth as we know it. It’s clear the stakes are higher than ever with people’s lives being directly at risk, so responsible business owners need to be thinking more about what they can do to lessen their impact. Read on for more information on how businesses can become more environmentally friendly:

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

With rapid advancements forever progressing modern technology, it seems appropriate that we utilise it to benefit the environment. For example, the idea of a business going paperless 10 years ago would have sent a company into despair, but now, it’s an easily achievable solution to business waste. Request emails instead of letters and transfer your filing system by having files saved electronically on a secure drive. In many instances, it’s actually more secure for the business to keep sensitive documents on a computer with backup capabilities anyway, as there’s less chance of them being damaged or stolen.
Furthermore, encourage recycling in the workplace. Have designated clearly labelled recycling bins to promote recycling amongst workers. You could also upcycle old office furniture to give it a new lease of life. An excellent way to save the business money, and also helps the environment.

Combat Pollution

Pollution can be extremely harmful to an employee’s health, particularly if you are a business located in a city centre. Business owner’s need to consistently evaluate hazardous aspects of working life that could impact their staff. This includes indoor pollution. It could be beneficial to install stainless steel ductwork for larger companies to have more control over the air quality and temperature in the building. This will ensure employees are operating under safe conditions, improving their overall health and wellness. In turn, this could lead to them taking less sick days and becoming more motivated.

Monitor Energy Usage

Another easy way to sustain an environmentally friendly business is to implement restrictions on energy use. This could be something as simple as turning all equipment off at night by the switch instead of leaving it on standby. You could also introduce energy saving lightbulbs which can greatly reduce your waste over the coming years. If staff spend too much time indoors, in offices or warehouses for example, it can become dull and depressing. Try to choose daylight lightbulbs to emulate natural light as this is beneficial to your staff because they create a more bright and positive work environment.

A Environmentally Friendly Future

Every business should look into ways they can help the environment, both for the benefit of their employees and the planet. If a business is operating from an industrial site or city centre, it is particularly advisable that they evaluate their practices as they are most vulnerable to pollution that could affect their employees’ health. On the whole, a company should be more aware of their carbon footprint as they have a responsibility to protect the environment for a better future.

General Safety Issues, Health Issues, Protective Clothing, Uncategorized, Weather Protection

Hot Weather Safety Tips for Aerial Lift Workers

Hot Weather Safety Tips for Aerial Lift Workers

 

With the warmer weather of spring and summer quickly approaching, it’s time to start thinking about working outdoors in the heat. Heat stress and heat stroke are some of the most common types of illness-related accidents for construction, forestry and utility workers during the summer. Like most workplace accidents, heat stroke and heat stress can be prevented with the proper training and equipment. Here are some tips to make working during the heat of summer, just a little cooler.

Modify Your Work Schedule

For supervisors, this may seem challenging, but on those extremely hot days, it’s safer for you and all of your workers, especially those spending time in aerial lifts, to consider a lighter work schedule. What does this mean?

  • Plan heavy work during the coolest part of the day.
  • Limit the time workers spend exposed to direct sunlight, especially utility workers that are maintaining lines from aerial lifts.
  • If possible, work at night when it’s cooler and when the exposure to the sun is limited.
  • For forestry workers, do tree trimming work in the morning, to protect both you and the trees you’re working on from the heat.

Take Frequent Breaks

This is really important for protecting workers from heat illness. During the heat of summer, make sure that employees are taking plenty of time to rest and find shade or a place to cool down. For aerial lift workers who don’t have access to shade, it’s important that you frequently come down from your lift and take shelter under a canopy or in the air conditioned cab of your vehicle. Keeping your body cool and near a normal temperature is the first step to avoiding heat illness.

Stay Hydrated

Drinking water and keeping the internal temperature of your body regulated is very important to working safely during the summer. If your aerial lift basket has space, bring your water with you. Otherwise, come down from your lift frequently for water breaks. Don’t guzzle your water, take small drinks frequently, or about 1 cup of water every 20 minutes. You may want to supplement your water with diluted energy drinks like PowerAde or Gatorade to replenish electrolytes. Whatever you do, definitely avoid alcohol, soda and caffeinated beverages, since these can dehydrate you very quickly.

Wear the Right PPE

Construction and utility workers need to have the correct clothing and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for summer work. This includes:

  • Long-sleeve shirts
  • Long pants
  • Brimmed hats
  • Sunglasses
  • Light-colored clothing
  • Sunscreen

Work in Teams

It’s very important that when you’re outdoors working in the summer that you don’t work alone. For aerial lift workers, this is a great way to limit the time exposed to heat. You and your partner can take turns working in the lift and cooling down. It can also be difficult to tell on your own if you are suffering from heat illness, and it’s often easier for a coworker to tell if you are starting to be impacted by the heat.

Get Trained

Construction, forestry and utility workers, especially those that spend time in aerial lifts should be well trained in how to work safely in the summer. This training should include the tips provided here, as well as training in recognizing the signs of heat illness (dizziness, nausea, accelerated heartbeat, confusion) and basic first aid for treating heat illness.

For those working in industries mentioned above, working outside in the summer is a necessary part of the job. However, with the right training, work schedule and plenty of smarts, working outside can be cool and comfortable for everyone.

About the Author

CertifyMeOnline.net is the number one online resource for OSHA-compliant training for employees that operate aerial lifts and scissor lifts. The safety and equipment experts behind CertifyMeOnline.net know how important good, OSHA-compliant training is for business owners, and how challenging it is to schedule onsite training. CertifyMeOnline.net is the easy way to certify and train all of your employees without any downtime.

Sources:

https://www.unitedrentals.com/project-uptime/productivity/warmer-weather

https://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_Hurricane_Facts/working_outdoors.pdf

https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/heatstress/prevention.html

General Safety Issues, Health Issues, Uncategorized, Weather Protection

Rising Temperatures Bring Increased Risk to Lone Workers

Rising Temperatures Bring Increased Risk to Lone Workers

With temperatures on the rise, the risks of heat-stress related illness are going to increase in the workplace.  This is very concerning and extremely dangerous for workers that are unaware of the symptoms and conditions that can apply when working in a high-risk environment. In this article, we will look at what heat stress is, what the symptoms are, and how to properly monitor and treat potential illness and injuries.

WHAT IS HEAT STRESS? Heat stress is a serious condition that occurs when the body temperature heats up faster than it can cool itself down. Naturally, the body sweats to cool itself, however this isn’t always enough.

The Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety states that
“Most people feel comfortable when the air temperature is between 20°C and 27°C and when the relative humidity ranges from 35 to 60%. When air temperature or humidity is higher, people feel uncomfortable. Such situations do not cause harm as long as the body can adjust and cope with the additional heat. Very hot environments can overwhelm the body’s coping mechanisms leading to a variety of serious and possibly fatal conditions.”

When exposed to extreme heat, people become at risk for either heat exhaustion, heat rashes, or heat stroke. The effects of heat stress can vary from mild to life-threatening, which is why noticing symptoms and treating them early can be crucial to saving a life.

FACTS CAUSES OF HEAT STRESS

Some major causes of heat stress include

• Air temperature

•Humidity

• Dehydration

• Poor health

• Physical exertion

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

The signs and symptoms of heat stress can vary depending on the severity of the condition.

Here is a list of the different types of heat stress and their symptoms (Arranged by progression of severity)

• Heat Cramps

o Muscle cramps & spasms

• Heat Exhaustion

o Headache

o Fatigue

o Nausea

o Dizziness

o Fainting

o Increased heart rate

• Heat Stroke

o Nausea & vomiting

o No longer sweating

o Confusion

o Irregular pulse

o Cardiac arrest
PREVENT HEAT RELATED ILLNESS – TECHNICAL GUIDELINES FOR LONE WORKERS

• Drink water every 15-20 minutes

• Take frequent breaks in shade/air conditioned room

• Acclimatize to the environment

• Exposure limits

• Establish safety check-in procedure

According to Berg Insight; International Data Corporation, there are 53 million lone workers in North America and Europe alone – which is approx. 15% of the overall workforce! International Data Corp. also predicts that by 2020, 72% of the workforce will be mobile.

Many of those mobile users will be lone workers that will be working alone continuously, or at sporadic times throughout their workday in the heat nonetheless.
Consider getting a complete safety network on all your devices by investing in lone worker software. Workers check-in using their regular devices, and if they need help, monitors will be alerted. Many lone worker software’s have features that will provide peace of mind to lone workers and help mitigate the risks of heat stress.

Written in part by Zachary O’Dell at SafetyLine Lone Worker

 

First Aid Safety, Health Issues, Protective Clothing, Weather Protection

Hot Weather Safety Tips for Aerial Lift Workers

Hot Weather Safety Tips for Aerial Lift Workers

With the warmer weather of spring and summer quickly approaching, it’s time to start thinking about working outdoors in the heat. Heat stress and heat stroke are some of the most common types of illness-related accidents for construction, forestry and utility workers during the summer. Like most workplace accidents, heat stroke and heat stress can be prevented with the proper training and equipment. Here are some tips to make working during the heat of summer, just a little cooler.

Utility crew in a boom bucket working on highlines.

 

Modify Your Work Schedule

For supervisors, this may seem challenging, but on those extremely hot days, it’s safer for you and all of your workers, especially those spending time in aerial lifts, to consider a lighter work schedule. What does this mean?

  • Plan heavy work during the coolest part of the day.
  • Limit the time workers spend exposed to direct sunlight, especially utility workers that are maintaining lines from aerial lifts.
  • If possible, work at night when it’s cooler and when the exposure to the sun is limited.
  • For forestry workers, do tree trimming work in the morning, to protect both you and the trees you’re working on from the heat.

 Take Frequent Breaks

This is really important for protecting workers from heat illness. During the heat of summer, make sure that employees are taking plenty of time to rest and find shade or a place to cool down. For aerial lift workers who don’t have access to shade, it’s important that you frequently come down from your lift and take shelter under a canopy or in the air conditioned cab of your vehicle. Keeping your body cool and near a normal temperature is the first step to avoiding heat illness.

Stay Hydrated

Drinking water and keeping the internal temperature of your body regulated is very important to working safely during the summer. If your aerial lift basket has space, bring your water with you. Otherwise, come down from your lift frequently for water breaks. Don’t guzzle your water, take small drinks frequently, or about 1 cup of water every 20 minutes. You may want to supplement your water with diluted energy drinks like PowerAde or Gatorade to replenish electrolytes. Whatever you do, definitely avoid alcohol, soda and caffeinated beverages, since these can dehydrate you very quickly.

Wear the Right PPE

Construction and utility workers need to have the correct clothing and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for summer work. This includes:

  • Long-sleeve shirts
  • Long pants
  • Brimmed hats
  • Sunglasses
  • Light-colored clothing
  • Sunscreen

Work in Teams

It’s very important that when you’re outdoors working in the summer that you don’t work alone. For aerial lift workers, this is a great way to limit the time exposed to heat. You and your partner can take turns working in the lift and cooling down. It can also be difficult to tell on your own if you are suffering from heat illness, and it’s often easier for a coworker to tell if you are starting to be impacted by the heat.

Get Trained

Construction, forestry and utility workers, especially those that spend time in aerial lifts should be well trained in how to work safely in the summer. This training should include the tips provided here, as well as training in recognizing the signs of heat illness (dizziness, nausea, accelerated heartbeat, confusion) and basic first aid for treating heat illness.

For those working in industries mentioned above, working outside in the summer is a necessary part of the job. However, with the right training, work schedule and plenty of smarts, working outside can be cool and comfortable for everyone.

About the Author

CertifyMeOnline.net is the number one online resource for OSHA-compliant training for employees that operate aerial lifts and scissor lifts. The safety and equipment experts behind CertifyMeOnline.net know how important good, OSHA-compliant training is for business owners, and how challenging it is to schedule onsite training. CertifyMeOnline.net is the easy way to certify and train all of your employees without any downtime.

Sources:

https://www.unitedrentals.com/project-uptime/productivity/warmer-weather

https://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_Hurricane_Facts/working_outdoors.pdf

https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/heatstress/prevention.html

 

General Safety Issues, Weather Protection

How to Prepare Your Business for a Severe Weather Storm

How to Prepare Your Business for a Severe Weather Storm

No matter what size company you have, you need a plan for keeping your business, employees and customers safe in all types of weather, from thunderstorms to tornadoes and more. If you have a supply chain, keeping it moving is another severe weather concern.

Weather Safety Tips

Earth Networks offers solutions for all your weather planning needs. Here are some weather safety tips for business locations to help you get started on your severe-weather plan:

  • Stay in touch: Make sure everyone gets timely text and email updates about the weather situation and business planning at affected locations. Consider how and when to let clients know your situation as well.
  • Stock up on essentials: Storms can hit while you’re at work and it may be safer to stay there than make your way home in blizzard conditions. Your office should have water, first-aid kits, flashlights, food and batteries, as well as a radio.
  • Save data externally: Save files to an external server or cloud storage. If your office is shut down, you can still access client need business documents.
  • Invest in a generator: You may lose power at your site. A generator can keep your business moving and help employees remain calm vs. stumbling around in a dark office.

Putting Plans Into Action

evere weather events can happen anywhere, at any time. Earth Networks can help you decide when to put emergency plans into action. Real-time data using our severe weather radar and meteorological forecasting services can help you make plans for staffing, business hours and customer orders ahead of time so you’ll know what to do when the storm hits.

Our severe weather tracker gives you current conditions, with detailed maps to share with staff wherever they are. This allows you to consult colleagues at various sites to make business operation decisions ahead of time and keep your supply chain operating even during a storm.

We can help keep your business functioning in severe weather. Contact Earth Networks by phone at 301-250-4000 or via our website.

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized, Weather Protection

ROAD SAFETY AND THE EFFECTS OF VMS AND DRIVER FEEDBACK SIGNS

ROAD SAFETY AND THE EFFECTS OF VMS AND DRIVER FEEDBACK SIGNS

Ever since the coming of motor vehicles, transportation has taken a turn to more accidents and gruesome deaths by accidents over the past few years. Two wheelers and four wheelers along with HLVs have been experiencing rash driving due to the lack of road rules and safety measures. World over, accident rates have shown that measures need to be taken to provide safety or at least warn the drivers of possible dangers and remind them to stick to the traffic rules. VMS, Variable Message Signs have been introduced to update the drivers of multiple road rules and warnings that can be read with ease while driving.

What Are Variable Message Signs

Dynamic or Variable Message Signs refer to electronic traffic message signs used on the roadways to keep the travelers informed about the route or about any warnings in their journey. These could be to inform the passengers as well as the drivers about any traffic congestions, roadwork zone diversions, accidents ahead, speed limits or speed breakers. But in Urban areas, the VMS is covered only for parking guidance along with information systems that update the drivers about parking spaces and other instructions.

These message signs can be easily programmed and controlled wirelessly via a cellphone or wireless network. Some of the message types that VMS include are:

  • VMS can be used to display promotional messages about any services that the road authority might be providing such as carpooling.
  • It could warn the passengers about any crashes. It could also specify if it was a rollover or a spin out crash.
  • Inform about any road-works in process
  • Updating traffic congestions and other situations.
  • Road deviations and exit ramp closures.
  • Any fire emergency or vehicle on fire.
  • Weather warnings and AMBER, SILVER and BLUE alerts
  • Travel time limits for HLVs into city and city load limits
  • Speed limits within and outside city
  • Car parking bay availability

What Are Driver Feedback Signs

These signs are placed only to inform and keep the driver alert about the road safety rules in and around the city. They include:

  • Speed awareness for residential communities
  • Silence and speed awareness in school zones and educational areas.
  • Warning for jaywalking and pedestrian crossing in hospitals, etc.

These signs have proven highly effective over time in aiding traffic slowing. It also allows planned planning of traffic enforcements with access to timely data. It allows a pre-programmed automatic generation of reports giving engineers an uncomplicated view of speed data and comparative analysis. The benefits of having Driver Feedback Signs are:

  • High contrasting resolution LED design board for both day and night visibility
  • Additional features of emoticons in addition to speed limit display
  • Reasonable pricing
  • Easy statistical data collection
  • Easy to install and function
  • Easy maintenance and tough resistance to weathering.

The application and use of these sign boards have vastly improved driver-traffic communication and given the community more confidence and lesser accidents. With continued use of these signs we can assure 100% safety to drivers and pedestrians.

 

Health Issues, Protective Clothing, Weather Protection

Be Aware and Prepare to stop spread of Zika virus.

As Congress haggles over how many millions or billions of dollars to spend to help stop the spread of the Zika virus in the U.S. before summer, researchers at New Mexico State University are already testing wearable mosquito repellent devices to determine which ones can best help us protect ourselves against these insects.

“The goal is to find out what works and what doesn’t,” said Immo Hansen, an NMSU associate professor of biology involved in the investigation. “There are so many products on the market that simply don’t work, so I think it’s really important to test them in a scientific way.”

This month, a group from Hansen’s Molecular Vector Physiology Lab, in the College of Arts and Sciences, began a series of tests to determine the effectiveness of a dozen commercially available wearable repellents, including clip-ons and wristbands. Though the study is ongoing, preliminary data revealed that citronella-based bracelets and wristbands have little effect on mosquitoes, whereas OFF Clip-On devices not only repel mosquitoes, they also kill them.

“Some people are really resistant to putting repellents on their skin, so they would rather choose a wearable device,” said Stacy Rodriguez, manager of NMSU’s Molecular Vector Physiology Lab and lead researcher on this project. “Right now, we are just trying to see if the wearable devices are as effective as the spray-on devices.”

The group plans to publish the results of this research by mid-summer.

This analysis is a follow-up to a study the group conducted last fall on 10 commercially available spray-on repellents. During this experiment, Rodriguez and her colleagues recognized the most reliable sprays as DEET products and lemon eucalyptus-based insect repellents.

For the current study, the group is testing the wearable devices using a 70-foot wind tunnel located in an NMSU research facility. After taking baseline readings, the researchers put on the repellent devices and position themselves upwind of a series of test cages. Depending on the product’s repellency, the caged mosquitoes either fly away from the test subjects or toward them.

The wearable devices are being tested against the same two species of mosquito used in the spray repellent study: the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) and the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti), both of which carry the Zika virus.

“These two mosquitoes have very different levels of attraction to even one certain individual,” Rodriguez said. “Since attraction varies, repellency is also going to vary, so it’s important to test multiple species when you’re looking at repellents and their efficacy.”

Thanks to body chemistry, mosquitoes are also more inclined to bite someone who “smells” good to them.

“Everybody has a different bacterial flora on his or her skin,” Hansen said. “The bacteria break down components of sweat and produce a different set of olfactory clues for the mosquitoes. Some people just smell better to mosquitoes than others, and there’s really nothing you can do about that except wear repellents. There’s nothing you can do to change the bacterial flora on your skin.”

Consequently, these chemical differences can impact which repellents work best for you.

“Something that might work for one person because of his or her body chemistry, might not work for somebody else because he or she has different chemistry,” Rodriguez said.

While the Asian tiger mosquito hasn’t established significant populations in New Mexico, Aedes aegypti – one of the primary vectors of dengue, Zika virus and yellow fever – can be found in your backyard in Las Cruces.

“Be aware; prepare,” Hansen said. “Get yourself a good repellent, wear long sleeves, long pants. Try to avoid getting bit.”

The mosquito that carries the Zika virus can breed in as little as one centimeter of standing water, Hansen explained. For those with ponds, his recommendation was to get Gambusia, or mosquito fish, from the Doña Ana County Vector Control to keep backyard mosquito populations at bay.

Next fall, Hansen and Rodriguez plan to investigate mosquito attractants for use in baits. Surprisingly, even though humans attract mosquitoes all the time, Rodriguez explained that creating a chemical to attract mosquitoes is actually harder than repelling them.

“We have such complex odors that it’s actually hard to emulate that in cream or a bait trap,” she said. “It’s actually much more complex than creating something that disguises your human smell.”

Article Provided by…

Molecular Vector Physiology Laboratory
New Mexico State University
Immo Hansen, biology professor
immoh@nmsu.edu (575) 646-7719

General Safety Issues, Hand Protection, Protective Clothing, Weather Protection

3 tips for handling power lines after bad weather

Tornadoes have caused damage in multiple states across the country this year. As the Insurance Journal reports, Arkansas saw several possible tornadoes appear on March 13, with thousands of power outages lasting on into the next day. Illinois experienced a possible tornado the same week, and similar storms may have been spotted in Iowa as well. This last storm brought funnel clouds around the Quad Cities, as WQAD8 reported.

With all of this activity, companies are likely considering the implications of sending crews to respond to tornado damage. Power outages in particular can add to worker risk, since they could result from fallen lines that need to be carefully restored. Dealing with the cables safely can force crew members to rely on their protective clothing as well as any training or best practices they have.

The storm may have passed, but workers could still be facing some urgent dangers. Here are three tips to help crew stay safe while they do their job. In some cases, these are not only good pieces of advice but recommended by government agencies.

#1: Choose the right footwear
Before arriving at the site, workers can ask themselves whether or not they are ready to step out on potentially dangerous ground. After a tornado, simply walking from one spot to another can leave a crew member exposed to sharp edges. Foot protection should match the guidelines set out by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, which listed foot and leg protection in its Personal Protective Equipment booklet.

Footwear is also important around the electrical source itself. The same booklet examined two types of shoes that can provide protection against electrical current: conductive shoes and electrical hazard, safety toe shoes. The latter “can protect against open circuits of up to 600 volts in dry conditions and should be used in conjunction with other insulating equipment and additional precautions to reduce the risk of a worker becoming a path for hazardous electrical energy.”

#2: Err on the side of caution
A separate fact sheet from OSHA also specifically addresses the dangers of working around fallen cables. The source noted how difficult it is to determine whether or not a cable is “on.” Instead, it recommended that workers should assume all cables they see are energized, which means avoiding any contact, even from inside a vehicle. Anything touching a downed wire is potentially dangerous.

Wearing sufficient hand protection, such as insulating rubber gloves, may let crews stay consistent with the other protective gear they’re wearing. It also helps to be mindful of overhead lines: the OSHA Contact With Power Lines etool advised staying ten feet away from these lines. Warning signs should clearly alert all crew to wires that aren’t very apparent.

#3: Keep a safe distance
A wire lying on the ground could seem harmless enough while the area around it provides the real trap. The same booklet states that some large objects, including buildings and fences, can carry current. The ground itself may also pose a hazard, as “electricity can spread outward through the ground in a circular shape” starting at the edge of the wire.

As an extra precaution, crews need to make sure none of their additional equipment will conduct a charge. Relying on material that doesn’t conduct electricity at all makes this less of a likelihood: One example could be a ladder that isn’t made of metal. Keeping lines grounded or insulated also gives crews possible protection and reduced danger levels at the worksite.

Contact Texas America Safety Company for more information on protective gear. Stay ready for anything in the stormy season and keep your workers safe.