Preventing Cold Injuries

Treating & Preventing Cold Injuries:

Exposure Risks:
Risk factors are elevated for people who spend extended time working or recreating in cold environments.
Many winter time injuries occur at the end of the work or recreational day when the temperature drops, surfaces get icy and slick, and people are fatigued and/or dehydrated.
Complacency or lack of awareness, especially in warmer climates, can also heighten injury risk.

Other contributing factors include:
1. Wearing inadequate or wet clothing.
2. Consuming substances that inhibit the body’s response to cold and/or impair judgment.
3. Having poor physical fitness, a cardiovascular disorder or being ill with the cold or the flu.
4. Becoming exhausted, immobilized, injured, lost or entrapped.
5. Being male have a significantly higher rate of cold related injury than women.

Prevention:
1. A person suffering from cold stress may be re-warmed by wrapping their body in blankets and providing a radiant heat source.
2. Use of self-care, Buddy-system, Foot-parade.
3. Encouraged to move around to generate body heat and given a sweetened, warm, non-alcoholic beverage.
4. Hypothermia: Request immediate medical assistance, move the person to a warm, dry room or shelter, remove wet clothing, shoes and socks, keep the person in a horizontal position and cover him or her with layers of blankets or towels and a vapor barrier (e.g. tarp, garbage bag), cover the head and neck but not the face.
5. Frostbite: Place dry, sterile gauze between toes and fingers to absorb moisture and keep them from sticking together, elevate the affected area to reduce pain and swelling, for superficial frostbite, place the affected area in warm, not hot, water until the tissue softens, do not rub or massage the affected area to warm it, Do not apply snow or water, or break blisters.
6. Chilblains: Avoid scratching, Slowly warm the skin, use corticosteroid creams to relieve itching and swelling, keep blisters and ulcers clean and covered, seek medical advice. Understand foot Parade.
7. Direct personnel to wear eye protection when exposed to blowing snow and ice crystals.
8. Avoid contact with cool surfaces, this can take away your skin and exposure deeper tissues.
9. Use safe heat sources such as air jets and radiant heaters to warm workers in outdoor security stations. If possible, shield areas from drafts or wind to reduce wind chill.
10. Use common sense: Check the weather forecast and be prepared for changing conditions. If working or recreating on ice, be sure it’s thick enough to safely support applied weight. Take extra precautions if you are unaccustomed to the cold or exerting yourself at higher elevations.
11. Clothing: Wear cold-weather clothing in layers to retain body heat and repel water. Unlike cotton, wool, silk and most synthetics retain their insulating properties when they
are wet. Pack extra clothing in case you get wet.
12. Wear goggles or sunglasses to protect your eyes and sunscreen to protect your skin, even when it’s overcast.
13. Eat and Stay Hydrated: To avoid fatigue, keep your body fueled and well-hydrated. Drink plenty of water, eat nutritious meals and carry snacks to boost your energy. Cold weather personnel who wear heavy, protective clothing require 10-15 percent more calories a day compared to those working in temperate climates.
14. Foot parade: every day after duty hours individual is said to warm his feet by immersing them in warm water with salt. Later his feet is dried properly and lotion or oil is applied.
Socks 2-3 pairs are worn upon.

AUTHOR: Shashank Kumar Srivastav MBBS, Medical Doctor, India